Massillon Washington High School quarterback Kyle Kempt has given a verbal committment to the University of Cincinnati.
Kempt said he called Cincinnati football coach Butch Jones Sunday afternoon and told him he was ready to commit. Kempt visited Cincinnati on Saturday.
His commitment ends a long recruiting process that intensified over the last few months. Kempt also called coaches from West Virginia and Indiana, the other schools he was strongly considering, on Sunday to inform them of his decision.
“Cincinnati was just the right place for me because it just felt like everything fit,” Kempt said. “Football, academics, campus life, the coaches, it was everything I was looking for. All the visits I’ve taken and the experiences I’ve had, Cincinnati just stood out.
“My gut feeling just kind of told me to go ahead and commit. I think I’ve found the perfect place.”
Kempt was offered a scholarship by then-Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh before starting high school in Oregon. His father’s job transfer brought the family to Northeast Ohio in 2010, and he chose to attend Massillon. He took over the starting job halfway through his sophomore season and threw for 1,643 yards with 14 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Last year, he threw for 1,335 yards, 16 touchdown passes and 4 interceptions.
Scout.com lists Kempt at 6-foot-5, 200. He was 195 pounds before last season and plans to get to 215 by the time he enrolls at Cincinnati.
Kempt has never had a B in the classroom. Thanks to advanced placement classes, his cumulative GPA is in the neighborhood of 4.15.
Kempt has a family tie at Cincinnati as his older brother, Cody, recently accepted a graduate assistant position with the Bearcats. But Kyle Kempt said his relationships with Jones and offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian were the driving force in bringing him back to campus this weekend and ultimately making his decision.
“It’s great that Cody is there, but he’s a graduate assistant and there’s no guarantee he’ll be there when I am,” Kyle Kempt said. “Cody being there had nothing directly to do with my decision. It was more about the offensive coaches and the overall fit.”
Kempt also had scholarship offers from Washington, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Bowling Green. He had visited Indiana and West Virginia during spring practice last month and saw games on unofficial visits at West Virginia, Ohio State and Notre Dame last fall. He attended camps last summer at Alabama, Toledo, West Virginia, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Washington and Ohio State.
“The most important thing for me was to find the right fit, and Cincinnati just felt perfect,” Kempt said. “It’s a four-year commitment but it’s a commitment for the rest of my life. Driving home this weekend I felt very fortunate that I’d found the perfect fit and I’m excited to move forward.”
