Lopez committed on June 1, 2016 as the 11th pledge in the 2017 recruiting class, picking Rutgers over Boston College, Temple and Tulane. North Carolina State and Syracuase also reportedly made offers.
Lopez and high school teammate Jelani McCargo (Navy) became Woodrow Wilson's first FBS signees in 11 years, according to coach Preston Brown. He was considered a cornerback in recruiting -- after playing on the outside on both sides of the ball in high school -- but could be moved to safety at Rutgers.