Kenny Minchey took his first visit to Pitt in March and committed a month later, so when the Hendersonville (Tenn.) Pope John Paul II quarterback was back in town this past weekend for his official visit, there were some specific goals he had in mind.
“Heading into this official, obviously I was committed so it wasn’t as much of trying to get me to commit because I already knew I was going to go to school here,” Minchey told Panther-Lair.com. “But it was more of maybe seeing things I didn’t see before and building a better relationship with the coaches, and also trying to recruit the other players that were there on the official with me.”
Those were Minchey’s goals heading into the official visit, and he accomplished each of them.
As far as seeing new things, Minchey said that Pitt’s academics and Life Skills support system were on full display, which impressed him.
And when it comes to connecting with the coaches, Minchey spent a lot of time with offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti and assistant quarterbacks coach Jonathan DiBiaso.
“I think it’s a great relationship, because I know what he’s done in the past and how he’s developed players and coached players, so I feel like it’s going to work out just fine,” Minchey said of Cignetti.
“He has said it’s a pro-style offense and an NFL offense because he has NFL experience. They’re going to go under center, they’re going to go shotgun, play-action, quarterback movement, all that kind of stuff - all the kind of stuff that people do on Sunday, so I’m definitely in for that.”
That left one last goal: convincing the other recruits on the official visit to come to Pitt. The Panthers landed six commitments over the weekend, including Dallastown (Pa.) York receiver Kenny Johnson, who was one of Minchey’s primary targets.
“Coach DiBiaso, the assistant quarterback coach, he’s the guy who I text almost every day, and he would send me lists of recruits and guys that were maybe going to be on officials and told me to reach out and talk to them a little bit, see how they feel about Pitt. So, some of those guys on the visit, I had already texted before. Like, I texted Kenny Johnson, the wide receiver; I texted him before he got there and then we hit it off when he got there.
“The first thing I say is, they have a good coaching staff and you’re going to get developed here. And the program is definitely on the rise: they just won an ACC championship last year. But another thing is, I know - especially Jackson (McGohan), the tight end, and Kenny, the receiver, they want to play with a good quarterback, so that’s another pitch that I had, that I will definitely get them the ball and help them make the plays. So those guys - especially Kenny was stoked about me being selected to the Elite 11. Then he watched my film and saw what I did and that he wanted to play with me.”
For Minchey, taking on a leadership role is part of the job when it comes to being the quarterback in a recruiting class, and he has embraced that.
“I’m definitely trying to do a big part in recruiting and help the team.”
When he committed to Pitt in April, Minchey chose the Panthers over offers from Michigan State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Virginia Tech and West Virginia, among others. But while his performance at the Elite 11 finals later this month and his continued success on the field this season will likely draw more interest, the three-star quarterback is set on Pitt and has been for some time - even before the Panthers offered him.
In fact, Minchey didn’t hear from the Pitt coaches until after Cignetti was hired this offseason, but he still had the Panthers on his radar.
“Pitt caught everybody’s eye this past season and I was watching every game,” he said. “They were always a school that I really liked, but we never communicated or anything. Even before they contacted me, it was like, ‘That would be nice to go to Pitt. It would be cool to get an offer from them.’
“Then about a week after my birthday, they texted me and called me, and me and Coach DiBiaso talked and that’s when they offered me. So before then, it was like, that would be a nice spot. Then when it actually happened, it was like, out of all my offers, that’s the most exciting.
“So other schools reach out here and there, kind of, but I’ve told them I’m 100% on Pitt.”
Next up for Minchey is a trip to Los Angeles for the Elite 11 finals at the end of June.
“It was definitely exciting because me and my parents have been following that since I was in middle school. So living it through and it actually happening to me is pretty cool. I’m going to go out there and do what I do, and everything should work itself out.”
