Pitt lost a commitment from its 2023 recruiting class on Monday, and it was a big one.
Hendersonville (Tenn.) Pope John Paul II quarterback Kenny Minchey announced on his Twitter account Monday afternoon that he was decommitting from the Panthers.
Minchey was Pitt’s second-longest commit in the class, having given the Panthers his verbal pledge on April 30. He committed several weeks after making an unofficial visit during spring camp and returned one month after his commitment for an official visit.
“They were always a school that I really liked, but we never communicated or anything,” he said after the official visit. “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 [assistant quarterbacks coach Jon 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.”
Minchey came back to Pitt one more time when he visited for the game against Virginia Tech on Oct 8. Before that, though, Notre Dame offered him over the summer, and while he maintained his commitment to the Panthers, the Irish seemed to catch his eye.
As of the time of his decommitment, Minchey had not announced a new destination.
Minchey got off to a hot start this season, throwing for 768 yards, 11 touchdowns and just one interception in the first four games. But a shoulder injury kept him out the next six games. Minchey returned for Pope John Paul II’s playoff-opening win over Briarcrest Christian, throwing for 260 yards and four touchdowns in the victory.
But Minchey couldn’t make it out of the first quarter in this past weekend’s loss to Brentwood Academy, as he left the game with a shoulder injury and did not return. He finished the season completing 67-of-99 (67.7%) for 1,042 yards, 15 touchdowns and just one pick.
With Minchey off the list, the Pitt coaches will go back to the drawing board for quarterbacks. Bo Edmundson, a three-star at Austin (Tex.) Lake Travis - the alma mater of current Pitt redshirt freshman Nate Yarnell - had an offer from the Panthers before he committed to Michigan State last February, but he decommitted from the Spartans two weeks ago and could be an option.