Ohio State is back on the practice field as they prepare for the 2026 college football season, which begins for the Buckeyes in now less than four weeks. That said, recruiting doesn’t take a break just because there are games to be played in the near future.
In the midst of preseason camp, Ryan Day hauled in one of his biggest additions yet in the 2028 class when five-star quarterback Christopher Vargas committed to Ohio State over the weekend.
The No. 1 QB and No. 6 overall player in the country per the 247Sports Composite, Vargas hails out of St. Johns Prep in Massachusetts — an area that is obviously familiar to Day. The talented 6-foot-4, 180-pound signal caller chose the Buckeyes among an offer sheet that includes Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Oregon, Penn State and many others.
“Just the coaching staff and the place they’re at, the culture, they have everything that is great for me and the right fit for me,” Vargas told Rivals. “I think Ohio State is the place that can develop me the best.”
Taking multiple trips to Columbus to see all that the Buckeyes have in store, Vargas’ relationship with Day and the level of talent at Ohio State were key factors in landing the highly coveted East Coast product.
“I think it’s because of the mindset he brings to the game. It’s not just throw you in there you have to go play under fire. He develops you into that best person and best player you want to be,” Vargas said. “I’ll be playing with the best of the best and against the best of the best. Just the family relationship I’ve built with them and that family relationship I built with the coaches, it was the right place for me.”
Vargas has spent two years as a starter at St. Johns Prep, throwing for more than 1,300 yards with 17 touchdowns and only three interceptions as a freshman. He followed than up with an even more impressive sophomore campaign, completing 75% of his pass attempts for 1,857 yards with 24 TDs to only two picks despite missing three games with an injury, leading the Eagles to the Massachusetts Division 1 Super Bowl.
Here is what 247Sports Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins had to say in his evaluation of Vargas’ game:
“-Tall pocket passer whose game is built around precision and mitigating risk.
-Exhibits no shortage of command while coordinating a balanced pro-style attack that frequently has him under center and working through a variety of different progressions.
-Clean from a mechanical standpoint with an easy and repeatable motion.
-Flashes elite baseline accuracy on quick reads and can feather the football into tight coverage windows when looking down the field.
-Will slide away from pressure and stand his ground, but must keep improving his improvisational skills, especially if the protection is below average.
-Should be viewed at this stage as a potential high-level distributor with his accuracy, vision and character.”
Vargas becomes the seventh five-star high school quarterback to either commit to or sign with the Buckeyes since Day was named Ohio State’s head coach following the 2018 season, and that doesn’t count former five-star transfers Justin Fields and Julian Sayin.
Ohio State’s 2028 class is off to an incredible start, with Vargas becoming the third five-star commit for the Buckeyes already in the cycle and the fourth member overall. He joins five-star wide receiver Jett Harrison (No. 4 Natl., No. 2 WR), five-star defensive lineman Jameer Whyce (No. 31 Natl., No. 4 EDGE) and four-star running back Elijah Newman-Hall (No. 63 Natl., No. 3 RB).
The group ranks second in the country behind only Alabama, who has seven commits in the class but zero five-star prospects. The Buckeyes’ ridiculous 98.82 average player rating is by far the best in the nation for any program with more than one player committed.
There is obviously a ton of time between now and National Signing Day in 2027, but Ohio State has to be thrilled with its start in the coming recruiting cycle. Vargas is another massive addition to the class, and hopefully he can become a peer recruiting leader among the group like several Ryan Day quarterbacks before him.
