4-Star QB Commit Staying Loyal to Pitt, Bell as Interest Heats Up
One thing that’s starting to become evident is that Pitt offensive coordinator Kade Bell can spot out talent at the quarterback position.
Offering a 3-star or 4-star player that already holds a number of existing Power Four offers is one thing, but becoming a player’s first, or one of his first Power Four offers, is entirely different.
That’s what Bell has found himself doing the last few years and to his credit, he’s struck gold more than once.
It’s started two years ago when Pitt was the only program to extend an offer to Mason Heintschel. For much of the season, the freshman from Oregon, Ohio was the talk of the ACC and will give Pitt a chance to compete in 2026.
Bell and Pitt took two quarterbacks in their Class of 2026, Angelo Renda and Corey Dailey. Like with Heintschel, Pitt was Dailey’s only Power Four offer, and Renda has one other from SMU. Renda was a record setting quarterback in Texas, while Dailey had a breakthrough senior season and was elevated to 4-star status by one recruiting service.
Bell’s advanced quarterback evaluation continued this season with Kevin Verpaele from Merritt Island, Florida.
Verpaele gave a commitment to Pitt back in October as they were the only Power Four program to extend him an offer. That’s turning out to be a good thing as Verpaele’s recruiting profile has changed quite a bit over the last couple of months.
After shining at various prospect camps in January and February, including being named the quarterback MVP at the Rivals Miami Elite Camp, Verpaele was elevated to a 4-star recruit by Rivals and a national Top 300 recruit. Not surprisingly, other programs are starting to recognize his talent as prior to last week, he picked up Power Four offers from Wake Forest and Rutgers.
Then last week, Verpaele’s recruitment picked up in a major way.
Verpaele was invited to make an unofficial visit to check out the Florida Gators program and accepted. While there, he received an offer from Florida QB coach Joe Craddock.
After receiving the offer, Verpaele told Rivals | On3 national recruiting director Steve Wiltfong that the Florida coaching staff was impressed with his ability to move outside the pocket, throw the ball in tight windows and ability to utilize the RPO.
The fact that it’s an SEC offer and in his home state of Florida, obviously are pluses for Florida and negatives for Pitt.
The initial thought is that Pitt could be in some trouble with holding onto this special talent but that doesn’t appear to be the case.
As he’s been consistent in doing, Verpaele continues to be fiercely loyal to Pitt, in particular Bell, who he’s developed a very strong relationship with. PSN contacted Verpaele immediately after the Florida offer and asked him about the offer and if there’s any chance, he could de-commit.
“None”, Verpaele told PSN. “Kade is my guy. I’m committed to Pitt. I have a great relationship with Kade and the entire Pitt football coaching staff.”
Verpaele was in Pittsburgh two weeks ago to attend a Pitt spring practice and will be returning at the end of May for his official visit.
As his national brand continues to expand over the coming months, Verpaele will no doubt be hearing from more and more Power Four programs. However, all indications continue to show that he’s strongly committed to Bell and Pitt.
Much credit to Bell and Pitt for spotting this talent early and working to develop a strong bond.
By the way, looking ahead to the next quarterback that Bell identified early and acted upon it. Hopewell 2028 quarterback James Armstrong received an offer from Bell and Pitt during his freshman season, which became his first Division I offer.
Since then, Armstrong has picked up Power Four offers from Penn State, West Virginia, Duke, North Carolina and Florida State. He’s only entering his junior season and that list offers will continue to grow as well has becoming a 4-star recruit.
I guess the moral of this story is that if you’re a quarterback and receive an offer from Pitt’s Kade Bell, you should feel pretty good about yourself.
