Christopher Vargas picks Ohio State over the field

Christopher Vargas isn't walking into his freshman year of college for another two-plus years, and Ohio State just beat out basically the entire sport to get him there anyway. The 6-5, 205-pound quarterback out of St. John's Prep in Danvers, Massachusetts, is ranked the No. 1 QB in the 2028 class, and on Saturday he told Rivals' Hayes Fawcett he's committing to the Buckeyes.

Hayes Fawcett

@Hayesfawcett3

BREAKING: Five-Star QB Christopher Vargas has Committed to Ohio State, he tells me for @Rivals The 6’5 205 QB chose the Buckeyes over Oregon and Virginia Tech He’s ranked as the No. 1 QB in the 2028 Rivals300 🌰 t.co/B9LYkHwGG8

This wasn't a two-school race that came down to the wire. CFB Home laid out just how deep the recruiting board was before Vargas made his call.

CFB Home

@CFBHome

5⭐️ QB Christopher Vargas (class of 2028) commits to Ohio State over LSU, Oregon, Virginia Tech, Penn State, Alabama, and 15 other schools. He is ranked #1 QB on 24/7 sports and 6th overall recruit. 2025: Guided St. John’s Prep to the Massachusetts Division 1 Super Bowl as a sophomore. Posted a 9-1 record as a starter after missing three games due to injury. Completed 117 of 156 passes (75%) for 1,857 yards with 24 TD and 2 INT. 2024: As a freshman, threw for 1,311 yards, 17 TD, and 3 INT.

LSU, Penn State, Alabama and roughly 18 other programs all took a swing and missed. Ohio State's actual competition down the stretch was Oregon and Virginia Tech, and according to ESPN, programs like Auburn, Miami, USC, Texas A&M and Washington were all in the mix at various points too. That's not a recruiting battle, that's a full-blown arms race for a kid who won't play a college snap until 2028 at the earliest.

The tape backs up the hype. Vargas guided St. John's Prep to the Massachusetts Division 1 Super Bowl as a sophomore, going 9-1 as a starter despite missing 3 games with injury, and completed 75% of his passes for 1,857 yards, 24 touchdowns and just 2 interceptions. As a freshman, he threw for 1,311 yards and 17 scores. That's a two-year sample size most seniors would kill for, and it's why national recruiting insiders are already slotting him near the very top of the 2028 board.

It's also why Pete Thamel didn't need many words to sum up the significance of the pledge.

Pete Thamel

@PeteThamel

Huge get for Ohio State. Top 2028 QB.

This is Ohio State's fourth commitment from a top-100 2028 prospect, more than any other FBS program has locked down at this stage, joining wide receiver Jett Harrison, defensive tackle Jameer Whyce and running back Elijah Newman-Hall. Ryan Day's pitch, according to reporting, has centered on his track record developing quarterbacks, and it's clearly working. Landing the No. 1 arm in a class before most of the country has even started building its 2027 board is the kind of early statement that reshapes how rivals recruit the region for the next 2 years.

Nothing about a 2028 commitment is binding in any real sense, and plenty change their minds long before signing day rolls around. But for a program that just watched its 2026 and 2027 classes get scrutinized nationally, getting out ahead of everyone for the top quarterback in the country sends a message: Ohio State isn't just reloading year to year, it's trying to own entire cycles before they start.