Houston edges out Ole Miss, keeps QB Maddox Kopp home

One of the nation's premier passers is staying home.

Maddox Kopp, a three-star quarterback out of St. Thomas High School in Houston, committed to the hometown Cougars on Tuesday night. Houston kept the nation's No. 22-ranked pro-style passer home in a tight race with Ole Miss. Colorado, Tulane and Wyoming were other finalists for Kopp.

Kopp is just the eighth commitment for the Cougars. He's the seventh from the Lone Star State and the fourth from the local metro area along with fellow three-stars Jalen Emery. Mark Wilson and CJ Guidry.

“I realized that the University of Houston was the right spot for me after my visit to Oxford. About a week or so after getting back from Oxford, I knew that I wanted to be at Houston.”

“This was the biggest and hardest decision I have had to make in my life. I would go to sleep thinking I wanted to be at Ole Miss and then wake up wanting to be at Houston. So it definitely took some hard thinking to make a decision.”

“Coach (Shannon) Dawson did an outstanding job getting me to Houston, showing me what Houston really had to offer. Just the fact that I felt like he was being real honest with me and what he was saying.”

“I really have not been on their campus until they offered me. I just liked how close everything was and the fact that they are constantly improving their situation.”

“They want me to come and get experience early in my career there -- learning from the starter now and then taking over the program. The opportunity to play in front of my family and friends was a big part of the decision.”

Kopp is coming off his first varsity season as the starter for St. Thomas in which he completed 225-of-404 (56-percent) of his throws for 3,076 yards, 28 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

A dual-sport standout, Kopp is also a starter for the St. Thomas basketball squad and is a slasher capable of getting to the rim and dunking. His multi-sport background is certainly a plus and his athleticism on the court is very evident.

Kopp’s older brothers also dabble in basketball. Brothers Anderson and Miller play at Lamar and Northwestern, respectively, while Braden is an offensive tackle at Vanderbilt.

Last season, Kopp emerged as one of the top passers in TAPPS. He has a fantastic deep ball and takes advantage of the full field, able to attack inside and outside the numbers with enough arm strength to effectively complete those throws.

During the Elite 11 earlier this year, Kopp flashed his ability to attack downfield with a smooth delivery and accuracy on his deep passes. He throws with adequate zip and is at his best when attacking downfield between the hashes. He’s also especially impressive in the red zone, which of course, is critical for the quarterback position. He also endured some hiccups on more rigorous passes requiring more zip, which was also noticed on film.

Kopp isn’t the most mobile quarterback. He rushed for 40 yards on 64 attempts last season and scored with his legs twice, but he is agile enough to move well within the pocket and evade the rush. That was evident during drills in the Elite 11 and on tape, where he extends plays and can get off throws on the move. His accuracy wanes when he’s on the move, but he’s able to get the ball out of his hands and in the vicinity of his receivers consistently.

The majority of Kopp’s passes come in the short and intermediate parts of the field with a few downfield attempts per game. He has good timing and ball placement and can effectively lead his receivers. He throws with anticipation, which is undoubtedly one of the best elements of his game.