Most college football programs are drooling over who they landed for the class of 2025, but I am here to tell you, Illinois football fans should be eyeing 2027.
The 2025 campaign is packed with a ton of promise after the Illini notched 10 wins last season. Luke Altmyer is going to lead this program to great heights once again, and thankfully, the Illinois coaching staff has the armory for future battles in the Big Ten.
While the class of 2025 is suiting up this season, and the class of 2026 still needs to be buttoned up, Illinois has an incredible start to the 2027 class. Kamden Lopati is the lone commitment right now, but I would argue you couldn’t get a better start to a recruiting class.
It is early in the proceedings, but Lopati is already a four-star recruit who is ranked as the No. 191 player in the class of 2027. He is also the No. 16 quarterback in the country and the No. 2 player coming out of Utah.
Coming off a sophomore season where Lopati threw for 3,050 yards, 25 touchdowns, and four interceptions, the Illini commit didn’t come out of the gates strong in game one of his junior year.
Despite the 50-23 win over Timpview, Lopati struggled, going 6-of-16 for 120 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. Lopati took full responsibility when talking with the Writing Illini.
“No rust, I was just trying to force the issue,” Lopati said, “I made a few bad decisions early in the game, but my defense picked me up.”
Accountability at the high school level is an impressive attribute for Lopati. Even when the chips are down, like a rough start against a team that West hasn’t beaten, he doesn’t get down. He draws his confidence from his teammates.
“It comes from our confidence in each other and believing in our game plan and preparation.”
Kameden Lopati is about to skyrocket up the recruiting charts, as he is one of the elite players in the country
Friday marked week two of the high school football season, and now that Lopati has a game under his belt, Timpanogos was his next victim.
This was a much better outing for the future Illini star. Lopati finished the game going 7-of-14 for 214 yards, four touchdowns, and just one interception. He also had 25 yards on the ground.
Don’t let the completion percentage fool you either. Lopati isn’t padding his stats with dink and dunk throws. Nearly every throw was down the field, and only a couple of the completions were on screens, one going for 42 yards.
Lopati also could have bolstered his stats even more, as the first play of the game was a 75-yard touchdown. Lopati threw the pass, but it was backward, throwing from his own 15-yard line to the 14-yard line to his running back out of the backfield.
It is pretty impressive what Lopati can do on the field as a junior. His feet are incredible. When the pocket breaks down, he doesn’t just pull the ball down and run. Lopati is always keeping his eyes down the field, looking to make a play. When he does run, it is so smooth. He glides around the field and can get yardage with ease.
The pocket presence is something of an experienced college player. Lopati is so calm in the pocket, as if he has been doing this for decades. He doesn’t panic when the pocket breaks down, but instead, he rolls out while keeping his eyes on the field. Lopati’s football IQ is amazing.
Two different times on Friday night, Lopati had the pocket collapse, and he made big plays. He threw a 12-yard touchdown while rolling out to the right. A defender came at him, and Lopati pump-faked him and created more time. This led to a touchdown pass in the corner of the endzone.
The other time that Lopati had a huge play while the pocket was collapsing was a 51-yard touchdown pass. A free rusher was coming off the right edge. Lopati didn’t panic, made a slight move with his hips, and the defender went right by. Lopati moved to the right and launched a ball down the field for the score.
I don’t think Illinois got a four-star who is just inside the top 200 nationally. I mean, we might have that on paper, but we aren’t getting that for the class of 2027. Lopati is much better than those rankings show.
With the 2025 and 2026 seasons still to play for this budding superstar, it wouldn’t shock me if Lopati skyrockets up the recruiting charts. What I saw on Friday night was something special. Illinois is going to get a great one in 2027, and the fanbase better buckle up for the Lopati experience. It is going to be a wild ride.