Kevin Doyle may not be a household name for Michigan Wolverines’ fans just yet, but it won’t take long for him to work his way into their hearts. A four-star quarterback in Michigan’s 2018 football recruiting class, Doyle is poised to help take the Wolverines back to glory under the leadership of quarterback guru and head coach Jim Harbaugh.

Standing in at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, Doyle is rated as one of the top pocket passers or pro-style quarterbacks in the 2018 recruiting class. Harbaugh targeted Doyle early on and it paid off with a commitment. Michigan has a need at the quarterback position and Doyle seems like a good bet to answer the call.

Doyle had plenty of options outside of Michigan to choose from. He was offered scholarships from Ole Miss, Boston College, Pittsburgh, and many other Division-I college teams. Despite all of those other offers, Doyle wanted to join Harbaugh at Michigan and learn from one of the best.

While he has the potential to be a star, Doyle is not the only quarterback in Michigan’s 2018 class. He is joined by Joe Milton, who also a four-star quarterback, although he is listed as a dual-threat quarterback. Competition is always a good thing and Doyle could not be more ready to win his spot.

Our own Evan Massey had the chance to sit down and talk with Doyle about his commitment to Michigan, his game, and many other things. First on the agenda was to find out why Doyle chose Michigan over all of his other offers.

“I would say there were a few factors in this decision,” Doyle said. “The first being that the University of Michigan has an outstanding academic reputation along with an endless alumni network in the work force. The second thing being that coach Harbaugh and coach Hamilton are both phenomenal quarterback coaches and have very good reputations with their offenses. I could envision myself thriving in their offense and being the “prototypical QB” for that system according to my size and strengths. Also, Ann Arbor is just a great place and I could definitely see myself living there for a few years.”

Speaking of Harbaugh, Doyle talked about what his future coach has told him and the advice he has given him.

“He has said that he thinks I am a very good quarterback and have played well this year against very good talent (we have played three to four games against Top 25 talent: #4, #7, #14). He said that I have shown very good signs of knowing the game cerebrally. He likes where I am at in regards to that. He said that he would love to have me at UM and is very excited.”

If you haven’t had the chance to watch Doyle play, he described his style of play to help give you an idea of what he will bring to the table.

“I would say that I am a 6-foot-4, 210-pound pocket passer who has one of the strongest arms in the country, who is also capable of making plays on his feet outside of the pocket. I have been coached to be able to read defenses and know where to go with the ball before it is snapped and use my quick release to do it.”

In response to what his strengths and weaknesses are at this stage of his career, Doyle had a very thoughtful response and one that should strike confidence in him from the Michigan fan base.

“I would say that a strength of mine is arm talent and size. I would not even call my weakness a “weakness” necessarily. Rather a “field to always improve in” and that would be watching film. Every good, young quarterback can get better at this I personally believe.”

Many fans like to hear comparisons for their new players and Doyle mentioned an NFL great as a quarterback that he would compare his game to.

“I would say I am a mixture of Alex Smith and Aaron Rodgers. I say that because those are both “throw first” quarterback who are also able to run the ball at the same time for a quick 10-15 yard pickup when the defense allows it.”

What is Doyle like away from the game of football you ask? That is another part of himself that he was happy to talk about.

“Friendly with everyone. I am a kid taht is not afraid of big crowds, but I look out for the kid by himself too. Definitely want to make sure everyone feels important and wanted. That has always been a focus of my parents raising me.”

He went on to talk about when he realized that he was a legitimate Division-I talent and gave advice to young players hoping to make it to the level that he is preparing to play at.

“I would say that I didn’t realize it until I was offered by Pittsburgh my sophomore year. It seems so far off to me because I have always looked up to these players my whole life. I would tell young quarterbacks to stay in their playbooks and the weight room. It is vital to know your plays 100 percent because without this, you will second guess yourself and that will get you hurt.”

Doyle also has high goals set for his Michigan career, both team and individual.

“I want to win a National Championship and bring as much happiness and success to the state of Michigan as possible.”

There are quite a few people in Doyle’s family for him to thank for helping him get this far. He took some time to thank them for their belief in him.

“Everyone. It takes a village. I would say my parents, my coaches, the Bapst family, the Bakir family, everyone who helped me get to this point. Thank you and God bless you because we all know it wasn’t easy!”

Finally, Doyle gave a shoutout to the Michigan fan base to close out our interview.

“I am very thankful for the love and support. I am excited to get up there for the Michigan State game. Looking forward to seeing them bring home the trophy this January. Go Blue!”

Make sure to continue following Kevin as he gets set to take the next leap in his football journey. Follow him on Twitter at @Kevin_Doyle_13.

Also, please give Evan Massey a follow on Twitter at @massey_evan. Thank you for reading and we hope you enjoyed this feature!

[Featured Image by 247 Sports]

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