Recruit Bio Blast: Oscar Rios

Kentucky is still looking for its first commitment in the 2026 high school cycle. Typically, getting the quarterback in the fold can help ignite any recruiting class. A big name emerged as a possibility for Kentucky this week.

Downey (Calif.) High quarterback Oscar Rios has locked in an official visit with Kentucky. The Metro Los Angeles native is a top-200 recruit in the 2026 class.

Downey (Calif.) On300 QB Oscar Rios has added official visits to Kentucky and Virginia Tech to his itinerary: https://t.co/DtojjyVL1y pic.twitter.com/p34kxTM7m8

— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong_) March 19, 2025

Kentucky offered the blue-chip prospect received an offer from Kentucky on Jan. 27. Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma State, and Utah also have official visits locked in with the blue-chip prospect.

Who is the latest Kentucky quarterback target? KSR is taking a closer look.

Multi-year high school starter

Current Michigan State commit — and former Oregon State quarterback — Aidan Chiles starred at Downey (Calif.) High and blew up on the recruiting scene after a big senior season. His replacement was a sophomore named Oscar Rios.

As a sophomore, Rios tossed for 2,633 yards, rushed for 767 yards, and accumulated 30 total touchdowns. The quarterback backed that up with 2,554 passing yards, 735 rushing yards, and 33 total touchdowns as a junior. Rios has a career completion percentage up over 70 percent.

At 6-foot-3 and 170 pounds, Rios has shown a true dual-threat skill set and still has room to grown into good sized frame. The production in a heavily recruited area has led to some big interest on the recruiting trail.

Former Purdue commit

Oscar Rios decided to make a big decision before his junior season at Downey. The West Coast kid decided to call the Big Ten home. Rios committed to Purdue in June. That commitment would only last a few months.

On Sept. 29, Purdue head coach Ryan Walters fired offensive coordinator Graham Harrell after a 1-3 start. Rios would decommit from the Boilermakers just three days later.

pic.twitter.com/Nr5XWVhPcO

— Oscar Rios (@_OscarriosQB) October 3, 2024

Harrell spent time as the USC offensive coordinator from 2019-21 and had developed some recruiting relationships in Los Angeles. That has opened the door for multiple schools to enter the chat in this recruiting battle.

Wide-open recruitment

Oscar Rios is the No. 14 ranked quarterback in the 2026 high school cycle. There are eight players ranked ahead of him who have already committed. Quarterback recruiting moves faster than any other position. Schools still in need of a quarterback are now heavily pursuing any open targets.

That should create quite the competitive battle for Rios.

All signs point to this being a fairly wide-open recruitment. A new rule has allowed for prospects to begin taking official visits on April 1. Kentucky getting the first visit with Rios could be a good sign.

• Kentucky (April 11)
• Oklahoma State (April 25)
• Virginia Tech (May 29)
• Utah (June 6)
• Arizona (June 13)
• Colorado (June 20)

If a decision were to come before the summer, Kentucky could be in great shape in this recruiting battle. Kentucky offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan does have some ties to Southern California. The play-caller landed former USC quarterback Malachi Nelson out of the portal while at Boise State. Could Hamdan get Kentucky on the board at quarterback in 2026?

Oscar Rios just became a major target to monitor.