The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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64 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MAY 2026 ❱ COMMIT PROFILE BY ETHAN MCDOWELL K amden Lopati spent nine months committed to Illinois. When his recruitment blew up early this year, the Rivals300 quarterback decided to reeval- uate his options that now included Michi- gan, Notre Dame, Georgia and Florida. He traveled the country, making stops at Duke, Cal, South Bend and Ann Arbor. Lopati started to feel the weight of his decision in the final week of his process. After reopening his recruitment April 13, he pledged to the Wolverines the next day. A longstanding connection to the coaching staff, the path to playing time and everything U-M offers off the field led him to Ann Arbor. "I was more comfortable with them," Lopati said. "I was more comfortable with the coaching staff and just being there in general." Utah offered Lopati over a year ago in March 2025. The blue-chip quarterback was a few months removed from a sopho- more season where he threw for 3,050 yards in just 10 games. The Salt Lake City (Utah) West High prospect posed for a photo with then-Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham that day and started to con- sider the hometown school. He spent a ton of time around the Utah program that year. Lopati sat in meet- ings with now-Michigan assistants Jason Beck and Koy Detmer Jr. and learned the offense. The newest Wolverine pledge knows the scheme better than most high school recruits. Lopati picked Illinois a few months later after Utah took a commitment from Thaddeus Thatcher. Utah remained in contact, telling him they wanted to take two quarterbacks in the class if possible. Following a series of coaching changes, he reconnected with Michigan in Janu- ary. The Wolverines already held a quar- terback pledge from Peter Bourque, but Lopati was the first known prospect to receive interest from Whittingham after he took the U-M job. Bourque decommitted from Michigan Feb. 17. Lopati was the first 2027 signal- caller to pick up an offer from the Wolver- ines. His relationship with the staff never went away, but this clear display of inter- est caught the quarterback's attention. "It was like a surreal moment. … It is definitely something special to see how our relationship goes everywhere, and how true it is," Lopati said. And when he reconnected with Whit- tingham during his visit, nothing changed other than the color of his hat. "I've met with him a crazy amount of times, and he kind of just told it as is," Lopati said. "It's not like he's trying to sell me on anything." Michigan went into this recruitment with an edge on the preexisting relation- ships, but landing Rivals' No. 10 quar- terback and No. 115 overall prospect re- mained far from a guarantee. He spent some time at Duke and scheduled a trip to Florida that he later canceled. Lopati maintained his Illinois commitment but went through the early months of this year with an open mind. Eventually, his recruitment started to feel like a battle between Notre Dame and Michigan. "It was extremely close," Lopati said. "It got to the point where my family was like, 'You can't go wrong with either one.'" He liked Michigan's "M Power" pro- gram and said the school's resources off the field surprised him. Beyond how fa- miliar the coaching staff felt, Lopati saw a path to playing time in Ann Arbor and felt like he was clearly U-M's top priority at quarterback. Lopati went on the "Bussin' With the Boys" podcast to announce the news on April 14. Five minutes before a planned 4:30 p.m. announcement, his phone started blowing up. ESPN's Adam Schefter, Rivals' Hayes Fawcett and plenty of other reporters shared the news as his interview went live. Lopati was officially a U-M commit. Michigan has already sent him a list of prospects to help recruit. He has his eyes on Noah Roberts and Tyson Robinson at running back. Dakota Guerrant, Quentin Burrell and Tre Britton III are three re- ceivers he plans on reaching out to. He's already in contact with elite athlete Bode Sparrow, and the star signal-caller will help Michigan's flip effort with blue-chip tight end Colt Lumpris. He's all-in with the Wolverines moving forward and plans on returning to Ann Arbor for Victors Weekend this summer. "It feels great to finally just have it done with and have my decision, working with my team through the spring to eventually get to Ann Arbor," Lopati said. ❑ Blue-Chip Utah Prep QB Kamden Lopati Finds Comfort Zone With U-M PLAYER EVALUATION STRENGTHS: Lopati is one of the top quarterbacks in the national '27 class. He has actually slimmed down over the last year and is a solid 6-foot-3, 215 pounds. A pure thrower with some underrated athleticism, he has shown he can stress a defense with his arm and his legs. For his size, he moves well and shows some real dual-threat ability. Has been highly produc- tive the last two seasons, throwing for over 5,600 yards and nearly 60 touchdowns. Will take his shots down the field and has the arm strength to throw the deep outs and posts on a rope. Moves well in the pocket and shows the quickness to get out- side and elude the rush and throws very well on the run. Rushed for 730 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior and is a zone- read threat that a defense has to respect. AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT: Can continue to improve his ability to process the game and be quicker with his reads. Has made strides in those areas over the last two years, and his game is trending in the right direction. A definite high Power 4 prospect with an NFL ceiling. PLAYER COMPARISON: Thicker body, pocket guy but moves around well, big arm, slow to process but improving in that area — think David Garrard, Mitchell Trubisky, a thicker Matt Corral. — Rivals national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins A second-team 5A all-state pick in Utah last fall, Lopati said his decision came down to Notre Dame and Michigan. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS