New head coach Kyle Whittingham did not waste much time making his mark on the Michigan Wolverines' recruiting board. Now that they landed one of the better quarterback prospects in the 2027 cycle, they climbed the ladder of the recruiting rankings.

Kamden Lopati, a 6-foot-3 pocket-passing quarterback from Salt Lake City's West High School, committed to Michigan on April 14. With this, Michigan landed in the 10th rank in ESPN's Top 20 schools in 2027 college football recruiting class rankings.

ESPN has Lopati ranked as the No. 2 overall quarterback in the 2027 class.

Lopati threw for 2,671 yards and 34 touchdowns against eight interceptions in his junior season at West High. That kind of production is what made him a national name and got the big programs calling.

He had been committed to Illinois since July 2025. Then he took visits to Michigan, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and California Golden Bears over the past months. But he decommitted from Illinois and flipped to the Wolverines the very next day.

His connection to Whittingham and offensive coordinator Jason Beck was a big part of the decision. Beck was previously at Utah, the same state as Lopati, and the relationship was already there before Michigan even entered the picture.

Other than Lopati, Michigan defeated Big Ten rivals the Oregon Ducks and SEC program Texas Longhorns to land the commitment of 4-star cornerback Blake Jenkins.

Between May 13 and May 16, Michigan added four recruits to its class, highlighted by commitments from four-star prospects Quentin Burrell, Xavier Muhammad, and Tyson Robinson, along with three-star safety Charles Woodson Jr.

For a program still adjusting to a new coaching staff, that is a serious sign of early momentum on the recruiting trail.

Lopati is now the highest-ranked commit Michigan has had since Whittingham took the job. He joins offensive tackle Sidney Rouleau and defensive end Recarder Kitchen as the top-ranked members of the 2027 class.

He is not just sitting back and waiting either. He is already helping build the class himself.

How Kamden Lopati Has Been Performing Since Committing to Michigan Wolverines

He showed up at the Elite 11 Finals in Southern California and put together back-to-back strong days. On Day 2, he completed 17 of 20 passes on target. 247Sports recruiting analyst Bud Elliott took notice.

"Really nice work from @CowboyKamden in the @Elite11 Pro Day," Elliott wrote on X.

Apart from proving himself on the field, Lopati is also actively recruiting for Michigan.

"I'm talking to as many guys as I can," he told SI. "The main ones right now are Dakota Guerrant and Joshua Dobson."

Quarterbacks who draw attention at national events and assist in recruiting often play an important role in shaping a class. Michigan appears to be benefiting from that dynamic with its current group of commitments.

With many more recruitments lined up, do you think Kyle Whittingham can build Michigan's 2027 recruiting class into a top-five class? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Farheen Fathima

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar