Pitt 2027 QB Commit Upgraded to 4-Star Prospect

PITTSBURGH — Pitt Panthers Class of 2027 quarterback commit Kevin Verpaele is now rated as a four-star recruit on Rivals, Mike Vukovcan of Pittsburgh Sports Now first reported.

Rivlas listed Verpaele in its top 300 recruits list at No. 257 and also ranked him as the No. 19 quarterback in the class and the No. 92 player from Florida.

Verpaele is still a three-star on 247Sports and ESPN, which explains why his Rivals Industry Ranking has him as a three-star still, as it is a composite ranking and take into account each site's ratings.

The change in Verpaele's star rating comes after he spent the weekend at the Under Armor Next Camp in Orlando. He was also named the MVP of the Rivals Miami Elite Camp on Feb. 15.

Merritt Island (FL) 2027 Kevin Verpaele is the Rivals Miami Elite Camp QB MVP🎯 @TheUCReport

Verpaele is a Pitt commit.https://t.co/1qZfs5KFzZ pic.twitter.com/PPFHmsSh2r
— Rivals High School (@RivalsHS) February 16, 2026

Verpaele recently scheduled an official visit with Pitt for May 28-30. He announced his commitment to Pitt on Oct. 28, 2025.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Merrit Island product threw for 2,714 yards, 27 touchdowns and completed 64% of his throws, while rushing for 597 yards, four touchdowns and 5.9 yards per carry last season.

2027 3⭐️ QB 6’2.5” 200 LBs
True dual threat
Pass- 2714 yards/ 64%/ 27 TD’s
Rush- 597 yards/ 102 carries/ 4 TD

HUDL 👇👇https://t.co/cBzFoOFtdP pic.twitter.com/A4kdmSQG1d
— Kevin Verpaele (@KevinVerpaele17) January 21, 2026

Pitt Lands Another Under-The-Radar QB

Just two recruiting cycles ago, Pitt landed three-star Mason Heintschel after being his only Power 4 offer. Like Verpaele, Heintschel was later elevated to a four-star by On3, before its merger with Rivals, but was a composite three-star.

Heintschel wound up being a great pickup and led the Panthers to a 7-3 record, a bowl appearance and broke several records as a true freshman.

Nov 22, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Mason Heintschel (6) reacts after a touchdown against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the second quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Like Heinschel, Pitt was Verpaele's only Power 4 offer at the time of his commitment. Verpaele has since received offers from Rutgers and Wake Forrest, according to Rivals.

Even well before Heintschel, Pat Narduzzi's staff found Kenny Pickett as a three-star, barely top 850-recruit, and he went on to hold about every major quarterback program record, helped lead Pitt to its first ACC Championship win and was a first-round pick.

It's encouraging to see Narduzzi, Kade Bell and Co. receive an early commitment from an eventual four-star quarterback.

In November, Bell provided a glimpse into how he and the offensive staff recruit quarterbacks. He described it as a filtration process that begins with receiving tape from coaches around the country, then he and the staff provide input before introducing Narduzzi into the process.

"I want us all to have an opinion," Bell said. "We're all going to see football differently. I might like a player that coach JJ [Laster] or coach [Jeremy] Darveau doesn't like. But we put a rating system together that rates them all. A lot of times, it's funny when people got different opinions. But when everybody's on the same page, when everybody sees the same thing we all see, a lot of times it's right."

Pitt might be right about Verpaele, but there's still lots of time before he can enroll. He's still in his third year of high school after all.

Even though Verpaele won't join the team for another 11 months at the earliest, if he remains committed, Pitt still has a solid group of quarterbacks heading into 2026. The room will be led by Heintschel, along with veteran Holden Geriner and youngsters Angelo Renda, Corey Dailey and Beau Jackson as the backups.

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!