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Four-star quarterback Kamden Lopati committed to Michigan on Tuesday, a day after walking back his pledge to Illinois. Bret Bielema believes he knows the reason for the change of heart.
The Illini head coach shaded the recruit for chasing a bag.
The head coach previously exposed both the passer and the Wolverines in a cryptic post on social media. That followed a recent visit to Ann Arbor. One week later, Lopati was gone.
Why did Kamden Lopati commit to Michigan?
The 2027 prospect had been in the Illinois recruiting class since July of 2025. He made that decision somewhat early into the process, choosing the Illini over offers from programs like Arizona, ASU, Iowa State, Oregon, and Washington.
In the months following that pledge, his stock rose. A strong junior season caught the attention of Georgia, Florida, Notre Dame, Tennessee, and Michigan.
That interest led Lopati to reopen his recruitment. He visited Ann Arbor last weekend. The Wolverines made a major impact.
On Monday, the quarterback decommitted from Illinois. Twenty-four hours later, Kamden Lopati committed to Michigan.
Was the flip money motivated?
Been hearing several million different things.. anything specific? 🤷♂️🟧🟦🟧🤷♂️ https://t.co/Oc74HHUaNj
— Bret Bielema (@BretBielema) April 9, 2026
Bret Bielema believes it played a role. Michigan, to his knowledge, came in with a lucrative seven-figure offer. Maybe the Illini couldn’t match. Maybe they felt the money could be spent better elsewhere.
Whatever the case, the head coach insists Lopati abandoned Illinois to chase a bag at Michigan.
“Recruiting in the world that we are in now changes every day… It’s a crazy time now because it’s a rewarding time, but there’s also a lot of places that are operating under different set of rules than we or some of us, and that gets frustrating.
“I’m super excited to get our number where we can pay our roster. But if other schools are double that or even further, it just gets extremely frustrating.”
We’ve seen schools circumvent the recently implemented NIL “salary cap” to spend more on their rosters. Programs like LSU are believed to be doling out upwards of $40 million in 2026.
Bielema suggests Michigan could be taking a similar approach. It might’ve prevented Illinois from keeping its four-star passer in the recruiting boat. Bielema will be forced to look elsewhere for a replacement.