Arizona beats out UCLA for 4-star QB Oscar Rios

Would be highest-rated QB to sign since Nic Costa in 2001

The Arizona Wildcats have started to find success on the recruiting side of the house in late spring and early summer. In June alone, Brent Brennan and Company have added 10 prospects to their 2026 class.

It seems they decided to end the month with a bang.

On Friday, 4-star quarterback Oscar Rios announced he was playing college ball in Tucson. He would be the highest-rated passer to sign with the Wildcats since Nic Costa in 2001.

Rios, who plays at Downey High School in California, is a very nice addition to Seth Doege’s room. He has great arm strength and can zip it over a defender or in to a tight window. He also has the finesse for touch passes over the top of defenders. Rios also throws well while on the run and is not afraid to use his legs to extend a play. He also shows effectiveness in the RPO and designed QB runs. These attributes make him a good fit for Doege’s offense. He will need to add more weight to his tall frame, coming in at 6-foot-3 and 175 pounds. Another note that is interesting: his completion percentage dropped around 13% from his sophomore season to his junior year. It’ll be something to keep an eye on as a senior.

Rios was busy on the recruiting front. He had 19 reported offers and chose Arizona over schools such as UCLA, Oklahoma State, Kentucky, Arizona State, Auburn, California, Colorado, Michigan State, Nebraska, Utah, Virginia Tech and Washington. He took official visits to Oklahoma State (April 25), Virginia Tech (May 30), UCLA (June 6) and Arizona (June 13).

In then end, it was a two-horse race between the Wildcats and UCLA, with Arizona edging out the Bruins. Rios was previously committed to Purdue, making the call in June of 2024. At the beginning of October 2024, he backed off his pledge to the Boilermakers.

Rios is ranked as a 4-star in both of 247Sports’ ranking systems. Internally, 247 has him as the No. 146 player nationally, No. 10 quarterback and the 21st player in California. In the Composite, Rios is the No. 184 player nationally, the No. 12 quarterback and the 21st best player in California.

He has had a wildly successful high school career up to this point. As a junior last year, he racked up 2,554 yards on 154-for-254 passing with 22 touchdowns and 6 picks. In his career he is 347-for-532 for 5,909 yards, 53 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Rios is the first 4-star prospect in the 2026 class and is the second 4-star commit of the Brent Brennan era (Isaiah Mizell) was the first.

Arizona now has 15 commitments for 2026.

You can view Rios’ junior season highlights below.