PHILADELPHIA -- At some point Thursday morning at the corner of Broad Street and Chestnut Street by City Hall, one Eagles fan brought a football and tossed it to the police officers guarding the street along the Super Bowl parade path.

An officer threw ball into the crowd, and another, random fan would catch it and throw it back.

If the ball reached the cops, the crowd cheered. If it didn't, they booed. This went on for a while.

At one point, the football landed in the hands of Kevin Doyle, a Philadelphia native. His throw made it back to the cops. Easy.

It better have.

Doyle wasn't just another face in the crowd.

He's 6-foot-4 with a cannon, one of the best 2018 high school football quarterback recruits on the East Coast.

Doyle wants to be like Nick Foles.

He's on the right path -- Wednesday, Doyle signed a National Letter of Intent to play college football at the University of Arizona, Foles' alma mater.

Doyle was a late target for Arizona, and the fit couldn't have been better for reasons beyond football. Doyle's been an Eagles fan his entire life.

Last week, Doyle visited Arizona's campus not long after Foles guided the Eagles to a dominant NFC Championship Game victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Foles was fresh on Doyle's mind as he toured the Arizona campus, saw the spots where Foles honed his craft before he was drafted into the NFL. Doyle, who had previously committed to play for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, hadn't committed to Arizona yet at this point, but the wind was blowing in that direction.

Sunday, he celebrated the Eagles remarkable Super Bowl LII victory, piloted by Foles, the game's MVP.

Wednesday, Doyle signed with Arizona.

Thursday, Doyle woke up at 5 a.m., stopped at Wawa in the city for breakfast and coffee before setting up camp by City Hall.

"It was such a great experience," Doyle said. "So many people, so many chants, so much camaraderie."

By 12:30 p.m. he sprinted -- the best he could through a packed crowd -- 15 blocks to catch a 1:13 p.m. train back to D.C. He had to make it back in time for his Signing Day ceremony, which was postponed on Wednesday due to inclement weather. He made it.

For Doyle, it was all worth it.

"It was a long day, an emotional day, but a great one and I am happy that I was able to get it all done," Doyle said. "It was a great experience. Yes I had to get up at 5am, yes I had to stand in the blistering cold for hours with the wind and people all around me but it was fun because no one was complaining. Everyone was just happy to be there."

This summer, Doyle will take the first step toward following in Foles' footsteps when he enrolls at Arizona and begins his college career.

Doyle is trying to follow Foles' path into the NFL. First, though, he'd like to meet him.

"I hope that I can meet up with him and have a conversation with him in the near future," Doyle said. "It would mean the world to me, knowing that he is only a few years ahead of me doing the thing that I want to do most, which is bring a championship to the city of Philadelphia."

Zack Rosenblatt may be reached at zsr1090@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @ZackBlatt. Find NJ.com on Facebook.