Purdue football lands 4-star QB commitment for 2026, while 2025 class is picking up steam

• Oscar Rios is a 6-3, 175-pound quarterback from Downey, Calif.
• Rios is a four-star prospect ranked No. 291 in the 247 Sports national composite for the 2026 class.
• Rios became the first player to commit to the Boilermakers' 2026 class last Friday.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Purdue football set the foundation of its 2026 recruiting class over the weekend with a major quarterback commitment. 

Downey (Calif.) rising junior Oscar Rios committed to the Boilermakers last Friday. The multi-talented 6-3, 175-.pound quarterback is the first commitment in the 2026 class. He joins 2025 commit Sawyer Anderson of Dallas Parish Episcopal as quarterback prospects in Purdue’s future plans. 

Per the 247Sports composite for the 2026 class, Rios is currently ranked No. 291 as a four-star prospect. That would make him the highest-ranked high school quarterback prospect the program has added since Brady Allen (No. 175) in 2022. (Allen later transferred to join former coach Jeff Brohm at Louisville.) 

More recruiting:Purdue flips in-state receiver from Louisville in 2025 class

More:Purdue completes 2025 schedule with FCS opponent

Only seven quarterbacks who rank above Rios in this class remain uncommitted. His list of offers included three other Big Ten programs — Michigan State, Nebraska and Washington — as well as programs such as Auburn and Utah. 

According to MaxPreps, Rios completed 73.4% of his passes last season for 2,633 yards with 23 touchdowns against five interceptions. He also rushed for another 767 yards and seven touchdowns for an 8-3 team. 

Purdue has not been led in passing by a scholarship quarterback recruit since 2020, when Jack Plummer edged walk-on Aidan O’Connell. The latter led the next three seasons, and Texas transfer Hudson Card led last season. 

Possible options to succeed Card after this season include current true freshman Marcos Davila, a former four-star, top-400 prospect. Third-year quarterback Bennett Meredith and second-years Ryan Browne and Jake Wilson are also in the mix. 

Purdue may also remain active in the transfer portal, which features plenty of quarterback movement every winter and spring. Rios’ dual-threat package could eventually develop into a long-term home-grown solution. 

A big pickup

Hamilton Southeastern offensive lineman Cameron Gorin represented an important development for the 2025 class with his commitment last week. 

If his ranking holds or improves — and depending on other potential additions — Gorin could become the highest-ranked offensive line recruit since Zionsville’s Gus Hartwig (4-star, No. 334) in 2020. Hartwig also marks the last time the state’s top-ranked OL in the composite chose Purdue. 

Gorin currently ranks 749th nationally. That’s second only to Warren Central’s Cameron Herron (726) as the top O line prospect in the state. Herron committed to Iowa on Sunday. 

That obviously does not reflect the entirety of how teams are built these days. Notre Dame transfer Joey Tanona, also from Zionsville, was a borderline top-150 prospect in the 2022 class. 

The massive need for offensive linemen nationally creates intense competition for those players during each transfer portal window. Keeping the best in-state offensive line prospects home remains critical. 

Who's next?

Gorin's commitment, and the flip of Hammond Morton receiver Lebron Hill from Louisville, gave Purdue’s 2025 class a welcome boost. That group still ranks last among all 18 Big Ten teams in both total score and average star rating, using only 247Sports’ rankings. 

One recent visitor who remains uncommitted is defensive lineman Derry Norris of Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange, Fla. Prime competition for the top-600 prospect includes nearby Miami. 

Fishers receiver JonAnthony Hall (4-star, No. 307) recently made an in-state official visit rotation of Purdue, Indiana and Notre Dame. Prior to that, the three-sport athlete visited Stanford. 

Other recent official visitors included Houston Lamar offensive tackle Dramodd Odoms (4-star, No. 99) and Shawnee (Kansas) Mill Valley edge Jayden Woods (4-star, No. 215). 

Follow IndyStar Purdue Insider Nathan Baird on X at @nwbaird.