Star rises for Kopp with trip to Elite 11
Offers pick up after St. Thomas QB lands spot at premier camp
Wanting to celebrate with those closest to him while leaving some room to gloat, St. Thomas quarterback Maddox Kopp didn’t waste time telling his brothers about becoming an Elite 11 finalist.
Kopp is the youngest of four brothers, and the other three are Division I athletes. Anderson plays basketball at Lamar. Miller plays basketball at Northwestern. Braden, a tight end at Vanderbilt, just graduated.
Their father Will played tennis at Chattanooga, and grandfather Dudley attended the University of Cincinnati as a quarterback.
Kopp seemingly has known competition since his first breath.
“You would never hear the end of it if you lost in a one-on-one game or you went 0-for-5 in twoon-two,” Kopp said. “It’s not fun to lose. You try to do it as little as possible.”
Inside the Kopp family, an Elite 11 distinction is the latest in a long line of athletic achievements. Outside it, even Kopp acknowledges he’s an underdog heading into the showcase June 29-July 1 in Nashville, Tenn.
The Elite 11 is the most prestigious high school quarterback competition around. Its alumni include former NFL and Stratford High School product Andrew Luck and Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.
This year’s version features 20 quarterbacks from the 2021 class from across the country, seven of whom are from Texas. Kopp joins state champions in North Shore standout Dematrius Davis — an Auburn commitment — and Shadow Creek dynamo Kyron Drones — a Baylor commitment — as area representatives in the showcase. Caleb Williams, the country’s top dual-threat quarterback out of Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., is one of the headliners.
Kopp isn’t without his own merits. He passed for 3,089 yards and 28 touchdowns for a nine-win St. Thomas team that made the TAPPS Division I state semifinals in 2019. St. Thomas coach Rich McGuire said it could have been a 4,000-yard passing campaign with a more solidified offensive line earlier in the season. He was second team all-state after replacing Peyton Matocha, who’s currently at the University of Miami.
The 6-5, 210-pound Kopp had Football Bowl Subdivision offers from Houston and Central Michigan before the Elite 11 announcement. The day after the announcement, he bagged two more from Tulane and Texas State. Mississippi and others are inquiring, too.
“I think I’m like one of three uncommitted quarterbacks in it,” Kopp said. “You just get put on people’s radar. That’s kind of what I was missing, because I missed (spring football practice because of the COVID-19 pandemic). I’m kind of late on the scene. Being put on those guys’ radars and letting them see my tape and my workout that I put together that I sent to the Elite 11 was really good. … Now I’m just drawing a lot of attention, and people are just excited to see what I do at the Elite 11.”
McGuire has known Kopp since the quarterback was 5. Kopp worked extensively with former St. Thomas offensive coordinator Jerrod Johnson, now an offensive quality control coach with the Indianapolis Colts, during the spring of his freshman year. The work ethic, inspired by his older brothers, helped put Kopp where he is today.
McGuire encouraged him to avoid rushing attempts as much he could to limit the risk of injury, considering St. Thomas’ shaky backup situation in 2019. But McGuire also wanted college coaches to know Kopp’s athleticism makes him a more dynamic prospect than some realize.
So McGuire suggested a somewhat unorthodox move: mixing a few of Kopp’s best dunks from basketball season into his football highlight film.
“I told him don’t overdo it, but your first clip in your highlight video, opposite side of the field, comeback route, just an incredible throw,” McGuire said. “I said immediately after that, put a dunk in there. Put one of your game dunks where you’re throwing down over the top of somebody.”
Kopp might not want to be confused for a zoneread quarterback, so the dunks serve as a reminder for a line of college coaches bound to get longer after this week’s Elite 11: His star is just beginning to rise.