Notre Dame is now on 'offer watch' after visit to Illinois QB commit

Now that Teddy Jarrard is reclassifying to the 2026 class, Notre Dame is busy looking for a new quarterback for the 2027 cycle. Among the possible targets could be Kamden Lopati, a signal caller currently committed to Illinois.

Lopati was someone the Irish took a look at when they had Noah Grubbs in the fold for 2026 and were looking for their next generation of QBs. After settling on Jarrard, they now still need a 2027 quarterback, and the 4-star Salt Lake City West stud could fit that bill.

To that end, On3's Mike Singer reported that Notre Dame quarterback coach Gino Guidugli was in Utah to see Lopati on Wednesday morning. The analyst added that an official offer from the Irish could be coming soon.

Quarterback recruiting never stops at Notre Dame, and the 2027 board is taking shape.

Lopati is currently ranked as the No. 12 quarterback in his class and the No. 3 player in Utah. Despite being committed to the Illini, he's getting attention from plenty of other Power 4 schools, such as the Utah Utes.

If Notre Dame wants to steal the talented passer away from Illinois, it will have its work cut out for it. Writing Illini analyst Rees Woodcock called Lopati a "budding superstar" when he committed back in August, and it's clear that Bret Bielema will pull out all the stops to keep him in the fold.

Still, the quarterback took two unofficial visits to Notre Dame last year and clearly has an interest in what Marcus Freeman and his staff are doing for young quarterbacks, especially when it comes to getting to the pros.

Lopati isn't the only quarterback that Notre Dame coaches are kicking the tires on. This situation is one where they have some time on, but developments on this front could move quite quickly.