Lately, it’s been rare that Michigan football has had a committed quarterback participate in the Elite 11 — the annual competition in Southern California that pits the best signal-caller recruits against each other, determining who the best of the best are.
The last commit the Wolverines had participate was Jadyn Davis in the summer of 2023. Before him, the last Michigan QB to participate was Cade McNamara in 2018, while Joe Milton and Jack Tuttle (who was originally committed to Utah, before transferring to Indiana and then Michigan) were both in the 2017 class.
So, for Kyle Whittingham and his newfound maize and blue team, it’s a big deal to have 2027 four-star QB commit Kamden Lopati participating.
The festivities opened up on Friday evening, and Lopati had a solid showing to open things up. According to Rivals (subscription required), Lopati was the eighth-best quarterback on day one.
8. Kamden Lopati — Michigan
Kamden Lopati quietly put together a strong workout, showing progress from his regional workout back in February. The Utah native showed good arm strength, ripping deep out-breaking routes on a line. Lopati threw a clean ball for much of the evening and looks to have tightened up his release a bit since we last saw him this offseason. Overall, the Michigan pledge was dialed in and on point in a setting that does not showcase his full ability given his improvisational skills on Friday nights.
Given that both Rivals and ESPN have Lopati rated as a four-star, and 247Sports has him as a three-star, having a strong performance would help the Wolverines immensely in terms of narrative — both off and on the recruiting trail.
Here is a clip of him performing on Friday, along with former Michigan commit Peter Bourque and Oregon commit Will Mencl.
Lopati is ranked highest by ESPN, which has him as the No. 46 player in the country and the best pocket passer quarterback in the 2027 class.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan QB commit Kamden Lopati shines at Elite 11 day one
Reporting by Isaiah Hole, Wolverines Wire / Wolverines Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
