As the youngest of four future Division I athletes, Houston St. Thomas Eagles star quarterback Maddox Kopp is familiar with being overlooked.

But those days are long gone.

The rising senior has seen his stock soar in recent weeks thanks to a relentless work ethic and a cannon for a right arm.

The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Kopp was a relative unknown in the recruiting world as recent as a month ago. Heading into June, the signal-caller reported just six scholarship offers, headlined by Central Michigan and Cornell. Now, thanks in part to a strong performance at the Elite 11 in Murfreesboro, Tenn., from June 29 to July 1, Kopp is one of the hottest quarterback recruits in the nation.

The former AAU basketball player was one of 20 senior quarterbacks from around the country, including one of seven from the Lone Star State, to receive an invitation to the Elite 11 camp. There, Kopp rose to the occasion and proved his talent against some of the best in the United States, including the top QB recruit in the 2021 recruiting class and a quarterback that received Heisman Trophy votes this past December.

 “On the first night, I competed in the Rails Shot Challenge, and it came down to me, Caleb Williams, and Justin Fields,” Kopp explained. “All eyes were on us, and one miss meant that you were out. I ended up winning the competition.”

Rivals ranked Kopp as one of the 10 best at the camp and an offer from the SEC’s Ole Miss rolled in shortly afterwards. Although Kopp is not as highly ranked by recruiting services as some of the other prospects that were at the event, St. Thomas head coach Rich McGuire was anything but surprised that his quarterback stepped up to the challenge.

“He is an extremely hard worker,” McGuire said. “He’s always working, mentally and physically. His coachability is truly off the charts, and that competition showed that he belongs.”

Prior to Kopp’s trip to Tennessee, he picked up an offer from near-by Houston. The offer from Cougars head coach Dana Holgorsen, who has an extensive and proven track record of developing quarterbacks in his high-powered air raid scheme, caught Kopp’s attention.

“The offer from Houston was big,” Kopp said. “They offered before the Elite 11 and all of that kind of stuff, so it meant a lot to get that offer.”

As Kopp’s recruitment begins to heat up, he is fortunate to have family to lean on during the process. Kopp has three older brothers – two of which play Division 1 hoops at Northwestern and Lamar, while another is an offensive tackle at Vanderbilt – that know a thing or two about hearing from college coaches. Still, there are still some things that he has learned.

 “Having brothers that have gone through the recruiting process definitely helps,” Kopp said. “They have pushed me to work hard and help with any questions that I may have. But I have learned that being recruited to play quarterback is another story. They’re recruiting you to be the leader of the program.”