MASSILLON Kyle Kempt finds himself in the ultimate hurry-up offense. Massillon’s senior All-Ohio quarterback is left with less than a month until National Signing Day, and he’s trying to get his college decision finalized.
Kempt had thought the recruiting process was wrapped up last spring when he committed to the University of Cincinnati. However, then-Bearcats coach Butch Jones left to take the University of Tennesse coaching opening in December, leaving the Tiger senior to look at other options.
When Cincinnati pulled his scholarship offer after new head coach Tommy Tuberville was hired last month — despite Kempt saying he was still committed to the program despite looking at other schools — he was forced to decommit. It has left him back where he was a year ago, with more questions than answers with regards to his college future.
“It’s just really late in the game,” Kempt said Wednesday afternoon. “For me, it’s almost like you have a short amount of time to find a college you need to get to. It was a little less stressful at the beginning, because you aren’t set for a deadline; you’re just trying to find a good place for you. Now, it’s like you almost have this clock in your head that Signing Day is only a couple of weeks away.”
When Kempt reopened his recruitment after Jones departed, he said he wanted to make sure he took his official visits to campuses before making a decision. He paid a visit to Toledo last weekend and is planing a trip out to Oregon State (Jan. 25), while also looking to set up a visit to Connecticut.
Those are the only three schools he has plans to visit. He did say Syracuse, Mississippi State and Jones’ new school, Tennessee, are also in the mix.
“We’re very up front with what we’re looking for from the coaching staff,” Kempt said. “After everything that happened with Cincinnati, you just want to find a good school fit. We’re still focusing heavily on academics and athletics at the same time. It’s changed, but it hasn’t. I’m still looking for a school with good academics and athletics, but at the same time, we’re being very up front with the staff as well.”
One characteristic that Kempt has displayed throughout his nearly three years in Massillon is a calm, ‘Joe Cool’ demeanor regardless of the situation. It was a trait that served him well playing in the fishbowl that is the Tiger football program, specifically as the much-talked-about record-setting quarterback.
Yet, even Kempt acknowledges the twists and turns of the recruiting process — at least, the most recent foray into it — has had an effect on him.
“It’s frustrating,” Kempt said. “There’s some times where you just weren’t sure there would be schools left to recruit you. It’s not that I didn’t feel like I couldn’t compete at the Division I level, but it’s like, ‘Who’s left?’ It was one of those deals where a lot of those schools have their quarterback. ... I feel like I did a good amount of work as a football player my senior year to be able to earn a scholarship from some of these schools.”
Nothing may have left Kempt more frustrated than the twists and turns his path with his previous commitment — Cincinnati — took after Tuberville was hired last month. After getting phone calls from both Tuberville and his offensive coordinator pledging to stick with his scholarship offer, Kempt said he received a phone call from the Bearcats’ new quarterback coach saying they had received a commitment from another quarterback, and were pulling his offer.
That back-tracking left Kempt dumbfounded. It also lead Tiger coach Jason Hall to announce he would not allow Tuberville or his staff to come to Massillon and speak with his players.
“They said they’re going to pull my scholarship because of numbers on their QB roster,” Kempt said. “That forced me to de-commit from Cincinnati. ... My scholarship was pulled, so I was forced to de-commit. It wasn’t one of those things where I didn’t choose Cincinnati.”
Despite the twists and the turns and the frustration of it all, Kempt is trying to keep his eyes on the final outcome.
“I’ve been patient with it,” Kempt said. “I’ve been very relaxed with it. I’m just going about my business knowing that someone’s going to come around, and I’m going to make the most of it.”
