Michigan rises up recruiting rankings after landing 4-star QB Kamden Lopati

Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham has hit the ground running at Michigan.

Michigan has landed its quarterback in the 2027 recruiting cycle.

After an aggressive pursuit, the Wolverines have completed the flip of West Valley City (Utah) West four-star QB Kamden Lopati. The Beehive State passer backed off a longtime commitment to Illinois on Monday and is now headed to Ann Arbor.

With the addition of Lopati, Michigan has jumped up four spots to No. 19 in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. The Big Ten program moved past Clemson, Minnesota, Penn State and Wisconsin.

“I have great relationships with the entire Michigan staff and that was big for me,” Lopati told Rivals’ Greg Biggins. “All of those coaches were recruiting me when they were at Utah and picked things right back up when they got to Michigan.”

Lopati is the No. 122 overall prospect and No. 9 QB in the nation, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 2 recruit in Utah.

Michigan now has six commits early on in the cycle. Now that it has a QB in the fold, more dominoes could soon fall in favor of the Maize and Blue.

Wolverines starting to roll on the trail

Maneuvering from the Sherrone Moore era to the Whittingham era did not impact how Michigan finished in the 2026 team rankings as it still signed the No. 11 haul. The new coaching staff in Ann Arbor is making some big moves with top targets this spring. The addition of Lopati is a big one.

The blue-chip QB now flanks Muskegon (Mich.) four-star EDGE Recarder Kitchen atop the class. Kitchen, the No. 119 recruit and No. 15 EDGE in the cycle, pledged at the end of November and remains locked in with the in-state program.

“A couple of other schools came in to see where my commitment was, and I let them know that I was solid,” Kitchen told TheWolverine’s Ethan McDowell in February. “I’m still, of course, building relationships because you never know what happens, but I just let them know, as far as anything else, I can’t do none of that. My loyalty with Michigan is very strong.”

Brook Hill School (Texas) four-star interior offensive lineman Sidney Rouleau is the other blue-chipper in the class early on. He pledged at the end of March and is now the No. 18 IOL in the cycle.

Chicago Morgan Park three-star safety Darrell Mattison, Las Vegas Centennial three-star safety Maxwell Miles and Saline (Mich.) three-star IOL Louis Esposito round out the class to date.