Illinois went to the Beehive State to land an early commitment from West Valley City (Utah) West four-star quarterback Kamden Lopati back in July.
Almost seven months later, Lopati remains locked in with the Illini. That has not stopped other programs from gauging his interest in their respective programs, however.
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Lopati’s offer list has continued to grow and he added Michigan State and Notre Dame to it on Monday.
Earlier this month, Rivals’ Adam Gorney reported that Lopati was still “working through the visits.” Tons of programs would love to get him on their campus as the spring visit season ramps up.
Illinois hasn’t taken its foot off the gas, though. The Illini got Lopati back to Champaign in January and he’s still rock-solid with head coach Bret Bielema and the staff.
“I love the coaching staff and what coach B (Bret Bielema) is builing,” Lopati told Rivals’ Greg Biggins last month. “I like the direction the program is going in. They treat us like family there and a high priority and that means a lot.”
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Notre Dame will be a program to watch with Lopati. Last week, Blue & Gold’s Mike Singer reported that the Irish had gotten back in contact with the blue-chipper, as QBs coach Gino Guidugli visited him at his school.
“That’s a heavy hitter,” Lopati said. “The tradition is rich at Notre Dame.”
Lopati is the No. 143 overall prospect and No. 12 QB in the 2027 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 3 player in Utah.
As a junior, Lopati threw for 2,671 yards and 34 touchdowns to eight interceptions, per MaxPreps. He completed 65 percent of his passes and also rushed for 730 yards and 10 scores. West went 11-2 and finished as the No. 11 team in Utah, per the Rivals Composite Rankings.
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Lopati is currently the lone commit in Illinois’ 2027 class. Last cycle, the Illini signed the nation’s No. 22 class, per the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.
“Coach Art (Sitkowski) and coach (Bret Bielema) and them, I built a great relationship with coach (Barry) Lunney and coach Art and coach B,” Lopati told Gorney, explaining his decision to commit back in the summer. “That was one of the main reasons and then focusing on just getting it done and focusing on my team this season and my teammates was a big part of me committing so early.
“I’m way happy. That was a pretty big thing for me. Wherever I went, I wanted to be the first one to commit and set the standard for the 2027 class and do something like that.”
