Kentucky QB target Oscar Rios shines in national 7-on-7 event

Kentucky currently has one commitment in the 2026 high school recruiting class. Paducah (Ky.) Tilghman prospect Jarvis Strickland gives the Wildcats a nice building block at a priority position on offense. Could another building block for play-caller Bush Hamdan be on the way?

Top-200 prospect Oscar Rios is scheduled to be in Lexington on Friday for his first official visit. Before that trip is made, the blue-chip quarterback was one of numerous high-end recruits competing at OT7, Overtime’s 7-on-7 league. On3’s Steve Wiltfong was at the event and came away very impressed with the Kentucky target.

Rios was named On3’s top performer at the event.

“Downey (Calif.) High four-star Oscar Rios made his Overtime OT7 debut this weekend and led Team Toa to three wins and a lot of excitement along the way. Rios was dealing, hitting receivers in stride, stretching the field and bringing energy to his teammates,” writes Wilfong. “He spread the ball around to a bevy of receivers and also made some nice throws on the move.”

[Recruit Bio Blast: Oscar Rios]

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.

Kentucky is firmly in the mix for the Southern California native. The Cats will get the first of a handful of official visits.

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

Rios will make a quick stop to see Mike Gundy‘s program in Stillwater on Monday before ultimately getting to the Bluegrass this weekend. All signs point to this being a wide-open recruitment. Kentucky is in the mix for one of the top quarterbacks available in the 2026 class.