NEEDHAM — An eighth-grade Chris Vargas watched Ohio State lose to Michigan in the horseshoe.
Now he calls the Wolverines “the team up North.”
Massachusetts’ first ever five-star quarterback and the nation’s top-rated passer in the Class of 2028committed to the Buckeyes on August 8.
“There were always one that I had in my mind, but something just changed; like flipped the entire thing where I wanted to be at Ohio State was that last visit that I had in June,” Vargas said. “It was getting around the coaches, seeing how they coach their own players, getting in the meeting room with them and seeing how they coach on the board and stuff like that.”
Vargas, an incoming junior at Saint John’s Prep, had more than 20 offers from the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Oregon and yes, the team up North. He gravitated to the atmosphere in Columbus and the way coach Ryan Day and his staff develop quarterbacks. Ohio State reached the Big 10 championship game last season and qualified for the College Football Playoff.
With his recruitment ended, Vargas can focus on his day job of St. John’s Prep starting quarterback for the next two years.
“It’s a blessing to have the opportunity to have that process,” Vargas said. “But obviously it’s a weight lifted off your shoulders.”
The Eagles reached the Division 1 state final last season but fell against Xaverian, who won its third consecutive state championship. Vargas played at Gillette after missing much of the postseason with a knee injury he suffered against Framingham in the opening round.
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“Obviously we fell short last year, and we want to get to that end goal again and achieve it,” Vargas said.
He’s the latest in a line of high-profile Massachusetts quarterback commits this offseason. Natick’s Will Wood, Xaverian’s starting quarterback, pledged to Penn State in the spring. Wellesley product Lukas Prock, now at the Hun School in New Jersey, is headed to Indiana, and Hingham’s Peter Bourque of Tabor Academy landed at Virginia Tech after de-committing from Michigan.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Chris Vargas reflects on Ohio State football commit ahead of season