Arizona beats UCLA for 4-star QB Oscar Rios

Downey (Calif.) four-star quarterback Oscar Rios has committed to Arizona, he announced on Friday.

He chose the Wildcats over UCLA. Rios is a one-time Purdue commit and also considered the likes of Kentucky, Virginia Tech, Utah and Colorado.

The 6-foot-3, 170-pounder is the No. 190 overall prospect and No. 13 QB in the 2026 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 20 player in California.

Rios kept a lowkey recruitment upon coming back on the board. He took his official visits, and while Kentucky set the bar high and UCLA made a splash, it was the Wildcats that made the best impression.

“My whole family was with me and it was a great visit. I felt at home at Arizona,” Rios told On3’s Chad Simmons ahead of participating in the Elite 11 Finals earlier this month. “I really like the staff and the vision they have. They know how to work hard, but have fun at the same time.”

As a junior for Downey, Rios hurled for more than 2,500 yards and 22 touchdowns to six interceptions. He also rushed for over 700 yards and an additional 11 scores, per MaxPreps. Rios has found the end zone 74 times across the last two seasons.

Rios becomes the top-ranked prospect in Arizona’s 2026 recruiting class. Head coach Brent Brennan and his staff now have 15 commits this cycle.

Rios turned heads at the Elite 11 Finals

At day one of the Elite 11 Finals in Los Angeles earlier this month, Rios was a top performer, according to On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power. Rios competed alongside 19 of the other top signal-callers in the 2026 cycle and showed out:

“Oscar Rios had one of the more consistent workouts on Day 1 of the Elite 11 Finals,” Power wrote. “The Los Angeles area passer showed impressive ball placement throughout the night. He was a standout as an off-platform passer, hitting receivers in stride while rolling out to his left. Rios also delivered some of the more well-thrown deep balls, throwing tight spirals that turned over with ease. He put an exclamation point on his Day 1 showing by delivering some of the best individual throws we saw during the Rail Shot Challenge. Rios is on the thin side and will need to add considerable mass to his frame. With that said, the workout was among the best we saw on Day 1.”