Kamden Lopati paced around his kitchen, made up his mind and made a phone call.

The days before this big decision were filled with long, roundtable family discussions. The No. 1 quarterback recruit in the state scribbled his thoughts on a notepad, weighing out the pros and cons of the colleges that had offered him a scholarship.

“It was kind of just all over the place,” Lopati said.

But he knew he wanted someplace that felt comfortable.

At West High School, Lopati and the Panthers practically play in the shadows of Rice-Eccles Stadium. It took him just 15 minutes to drive to the University of Utah’s campus on the city’s east bench, which he did often for visits. He wanted to join the Utes right up until the program offered a scholarship to another quarterback in his class.

“My top school was Utah, and then that whole thing happened,” Lopati said.

So when it came time to make that decisive phone call last month, he dialed up the coaches he’d spent months getting to know at the U. — and he told them he’d follow them to Michigan.

“That was a big part of my decision, the relationship part,” Lopati said. “And it started feeling like, ‘Why wouldn’t I choose Michigan?’”

It’s a question a lot more Utah high school recruits might be asking these days.

Since longtime Utes coach Kyle Whittingham — and his staff filled with former Utah and BYU assistants — all left the state for Michigan, they’ve offered 16 Utah high school players from the 2027 (11 players) and 2028 (five players) recruiting classes.

To put it into perspective: Michigan only offered two players from the state in 2026 and three in 2025.

“For some kids, they know what Whitt is about,” West High School head coach Olosaa Solovi said. “Their parents know what Coach Whitt is about. If it’s your kid, you’re typically going to go with what you know and understand.”

‘Utah culture and Utah staff’

The evening’s rays lit up the peak of Loafer Mountain, while a band of Salem Hills High School football players practiced in seven-on-seven drills in a windy spring practice.

Peyton Higginson, a three-star recruit in the 2027 class and the No. 9-ranked player in Utah, was lined up at safety and spent the afternoon chasing down wide receivers and breaking up deep passes in drills.

He’s one of the latest prospects in the state to receive interest from the Michigan Wolverines, leveraging their previous Ute and Cougar recruiting ties in the state.

“A big part of me for Michigan being at the top of my list is because of the Utah culture and Utah staff there,” Higginson said. “Coach Hill, ever since he was at BYU, he’s called me every week.”

When Hill left BYU for the Wolverines after its bowl game, he showed up at Higginson’s house just days later to extend an official offer from the Wolverines.

“Michigan and BYU will for sure be in my top eight,” Higginson said of the next stage of his decision. “Coach Hill and [Utah-turned-Michigan coach Lewis Powell] have been nothing but great to me.”

Players like Higginson — who have already built relationships with Michigan coaching transplants that left from Utah and BYU — are starting to see an uptick in interest from the 12-time national champion.

And Salem Hills head coach Jeff Higginson thinks it could the beginning of a new trend for Whittingham’s regime.

“I definitely see Michigan having a presence here, for sure,” Jeff, who is also Peyton’s uncle, said. “One of the things I think people are starting to notice is Utah produces great football players.”

As with so many things, recruiting is all about who you know.

Former Ute commit and five-star recruit Salesi Moa was one of the first freshman recruits to bolt to the Big Ten program after enrolling at the U. this offseason.

“He pretty much went to Utah for that offensive staff,” Sione Moa, Salesi’s brother, said. “When the offensive staff went to Michigan, that’s kind of when he started thinking like, ‘Oh, shoot.’”

Local high school coaches have already started receiving calls and texts from Michigan assistants about future classes and prospects, too.

New Corner Canyon head coach Casey Sutera had a recent chat with Michigan linebackers coach Alex Whittingham about some of the reigning-6A state champion’s upcoming prospects.

Three-star athlete Diesel Dart, the younger brother of NFL quarterback Jaxson Dart, and edge rusher Manase Brown have been in contact with the Wolverines, their coach said.

“I know there’s several of our kids that are getting some interest from Michigan,” Sutera said.

The first-year Chargers head coach doesn’t expect the Wolverines to be in on every in-state player, however.

“I wouldn’t think that Michigan’s now going to recruit and even get all the kids that were going to go to Utah or BYU,” Setura said. “I would say it would be upwards of maybe three to five players a year at the most.”

But Whittingham is now armed with loads of cash and prestige. With new money and relationships that go back for two-plus decades, Michigan and Whittingham could easily have a high school recruiting pull in the state if they chose to.

“They had an upper hand in a place they’ve already had relationships in and used it,” Solovi said. “They’ve been on Kamden since their time at Utah, and that hasn’t changed.”

Lopati added: “Michigan’s the most-winningest program in college football history. So you’ll always have that respect and feeling about it.”

What will it mean for BYU and Utah?

Higginson had heard of The Big House before his unofficial visit to Ann Arbor this spring.

“But just being there in person,” Higginson said, ”that was really cool. I got to see how much bigger it is in person."

His eyes were opened even more, he said, when he set them on the shiny and expensive facilities on campus covered in maize and blue.

“I think the football is still the same,” Higginson said. “I think what separates Michigan is its facilities. They definitely have the nicest facilities I’ve personally been to.

“I think that helps their recruiting better than the team like Utah or team like BYU.”

Prestige is also a factor, especially for those that want to play at the highest level.

“Michigan’s a worldwide brand,” Lopati said. “Utah and BYU, they’re kind of worldwide in a way. But Michigan — everybody knows about Michigan, so that’s really just the difference between them.”

NIL money is a factor, too.

“It wasn’t the best,” Lopati said of Michigan’s offer, “but it was up there.”

But will the Wolverines really pose a long-term threat to the U. and BYU while on the trail?

The Utes have already seen Whittingham gut their former coaching staff and take former Utes in the transfer portal last offseason.

“I think Michigan is going to be very aggressive and competitive in the state,” said Will Snowden, a local agent whose son, Smith Snowden, followed Whittingahm to Ann Arbor.

“They’ll be coming after the top players in the state of Utah every year, so it’s going to be really interesting to see how BYU and Utah are able to compete with it. I think you’ll see one or two of the top Utah players get out to Michigan every single year.”

Other big-time programs have started sneaking into the state, especially for the upcoming cycle. The SEC’s Oklahoma has already landed a commitment from the No. 2 player in the state, four-star edge rusher Krew Jones. The Sooners are reportedly also the current favorites to land Utah’s No. 1 recruit, Bode Sparrow.

Adding Michigan to the mix could make things that much more challenging for the flagship programs here.

“But they’re gonna have to get out and work,” Salem coach Jeff Higginson said, “because kids dream about going to Utah and BYU.”