USF scored a major coup in football recruiting when 4-star quarterback Kevin Verpaele committed to the Bulls after decommiting from Pitt. Both On3.com and 247Sports had the story.
Rivals Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power had this to say after watching Verpaele work at a camp in early February.
"Kevin Verpaele put together the best day from start to finish among the quarterbacks at Rivals Camp Miami. The Merritt Island High passer showed a live arm and the ability to drive the football downfield with noticeable zip," he wrote..
"The football jumped out of his hand and he delivered tight spirals for much of the afternoon. Verpaele looks to have quality mechanics and showed the ability to replicate his throwing motion with little variance in drills."
BREAKING: Four-Star QB Kevin Verpaele has Committed to USF, he tells me for @Rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 10, 2026
The 6’3 205 QB decommitted from Pitt yesterday
He’s ranked as a Top 3 QB in Florida in the 2027 Rivals300https://t.co/DoR8ajTDr7 pic.twitter.com/AlQwfGXowD
If the name sounds familiar to USF fans, it should.
His farther, Kevin Verpaele, Sr., was a quarterback for the Bulls from 2000-2003 and his uncle, Danny Verpaele, was a defensive back at USF from 2004-2008, Danny is currently the defensive backs for the Bulls.
On3 credits USF quarterbacks coach Mike Hartline with the recruiting win.
The Rivals Industry Rankings list Verpaele as the No. 22 quarterback in the 2027 class.Â
This is significant for another reason. While new head coach Brian Hartline had the reputation as an elite recruiter at Ohio State, some may have wondered if he and his staff could have the same success at non-Power 4 program -- especially when it meant going up against Power 4 schools.
Question answered.
Verpaele finished his junior season completing 191 of 302 passes (63.2%) for 2,714 yards. He had 27 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also ran 95 times for 480 yards and four more scores.
He had verbally commited to Pitt last fall but USF kept after him. A visit to the campus last weekend seemed to clinch the deal. He also had offers from Florida, Virginia Tech,, and Rutgers.
Earlier, the Bulls got a commitment from safety Jaiziah Battle of The First Academy in Orlando. He chose USF over Boston College, Memphis, Florida Atlantic, and North Texas.
247Sports reported that Danny Verpaele was the lead recruiter on this one.
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