Wednesday’s 7-on-7 tournament at Ohio State just might have offered a first look at a standout quarterback/wide receiver tandem of the future for the Buckeyes.
Five-star 2027 Ohio State wide receiver commit Jamier Brown and Christopher Vargas, the No. 1 quarterback in 247Sports’ composite rankings for the 2028 class, teamed up to lead the 24K Cold Hearts – a star-studded 7-on-7 team featuring top prospects from all over the country – to victory at Ohio State’s second and final 7-on-7 tournament of the summer. In a 32-team field that otherwise consisted mostly of teams from local high schools, Team 24K went undefeated, outgunning Northwestern quarterback commit RJ Day – the son of Ryan Day – and his DeSales High School team in the championship game.
Vargas, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound junior at St. John’s Preparatory School in Massachusetts, looked the part of the top quarterback in his class as he efficiently led the 24K offense down the field time and time again, demonstrating his accuracy, deep passing skill and ability to throw on the move throughout the day.
No. 1 2028 QB Christopher Vargas with a deep touchdown pass to give Team 24K the lead over Bishop Watterson in the semifinals of Ohio State’s 7-on-7 tournament. pic.twitter.com/MRYdoFDXgX
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) June 17, 2026
Another deep touchdown strike from Christopher Vargas pic.twitter.com/XL0p7C26Dq
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) June 17, 2026
Christopher Vargas, the No. 1 quarterback in the 2028 class, competing in Ohio State’s 7-on-7 tournament today. pic.twitter.com/jWgpsVLuRy
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) June 17, 2026
Brown had plenty of competition for targets on a star-studded team that also included Malachi Lee, the No. 8 receiver in the 2028 class (who received an offer from Ohio State during Wednesday’s tournament), and two other 2028 receivers who also have Power 4 offers in Chase Hancock and Jordyn Murray. Edmund McAllister, a 2029 running back from Pickerington with 20 Division I offers, also suited up for the Cold Hearts offense. But Brown still delivered plenty of highlights on his future practice field, including a leaping touchdown grab in 24K’s semifinal win over two-time defending Division III Ohio state champion Bishop Watterson.
Ohio State wide receiver commit Jamier Brown makes a leaping catch on another touchdown pass from Vargas to extend 24K’s lead. pic.twitter.com/0tslkAuOEM
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) June 17, 2026
For Brown, the 7-on-7 championship kicked off a week at Ohio State that will culminate with his official visit to the Buckeyes. The No. 4 receiver in the 2027 class, who told Eleven Warriors in May that he had shut down his recruitment, already has great familiarity with Ohio State, as he’s been committed to the Buckeyes since November 2024 and regularly spends time on campus now that he’s moved to nearby Sunbury, Ohio, where he’ll play his final high school football season at Big Walnut. Nevertheless, Brown said he and his family are excited for his official visit, which he was originally scheduled to make three weeks ago before rescheduling for this weekend.
“Looking forward to it a lot. I had to push it back, so me and my family are excited about it this weekend,” Brown said. “I'm up here a lot, so it's kind of just like another day for me up here, but just to be back up here again is always a good feeling for me.”
Vargas, meanwhile, got a closer look at one of his top schools by participating in Wednesday’s tournament. The five-star quarterback, who’s held an offer from Ohio State since November 2024, told Eleven Warriors that he’s built a strong relationship with Ohio State’s coaches over multiple years and that Ohio State is “of course” one of his top schools. Vargas is impressed by Ryan Day’s track record of developing quarterbacks, particularly C.J. Stroud, whom Vargas said he models his game after.
Ohio State has plenty of competition for Vargas, who holds offers from many of the nation’s top programs. Some of the other schools standing out in his recruitment include Virginia Tech, Washington, Oregon, Texas A&M and Miami, Vargas said, while he also visited USC and UCLA this summer. But there’s strong mutual interest between Vargas and Ohio State, and it certainly doesn’t hurt the Buckeyes’ chances that they have Brown to help recruit him.
“I mean, he's the fastest player in the country, so it's great to throw to him,” Vargas said of Brown.
Having caught passes from Vargas for a couple of months now through their 7-on-7 affiliation, Brown says he “definitely” wants Vargas to join him at Ohio State.
“He’s a real good quarterback. He’s a smart quarterback, makes all the right decisions. So I think he’ll definitely be great in the future,” Brown said.
Other notable players on Wednesday’s championship-winning team included:
- Kei’Shjuan Telfair, a four-star Penn State cornerback commit in the 2027 class
- Sean Torbert, a 2028 defensive back from Cincinnati who holds an Ohio State offer and is is the younger brother of 2027 Ohio State cornerback target Monsanna Torbert Jr.
- Zion Green, a four-star 2028 defensive back from Florida
- Tristin Hughes, a four-star 2027 Kentucky safety commit
- Zion Dobson, a 2028 cornerback from North Carolina with double-digit Power 4 offers
- Dante Shipp, a three-star 2028 defensive back from Sandusky, Ohio
- Kameron Lowe, a 2029 cornerback from Michigan who already holds six Power 4 offers
Elsewhere in the tournament, 2027 Ohio State quarterback commit Brady Edmunds quarterbacked the House team ahead of his official visit to OSU this weekend.
With Edmunds throwing the ball, the House team went undefeated in pool play before falling to Upper Arlington and Reign St. Clair – the younger brother of Ohio State second-string quarterback Tavien St. Clair – in the second round of tournament play.
Deep-ball touchdown pass from Brady Edmunds. pic.twitter.com/C4jfrW2VGE
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) June 17, 2026
St. Clair and the Golden Bears were defeated in the next round by DeSales, who went on to beat Pickerington North in the semifinals before falling in the championship game.
Fun matchup in the quarterfinals of Ohio State’s 7-on-7 tournament: RJ Day and DeSales vs. Reign St. Clair and Upper Arlington.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) June 17, 2026
Day, a Northwestern commit in the 2027 class, is the son of Ryan Day. St. Clair, a 2028 QB, is the younger brother of Ohio State QB Tavien St. Clair.… pic.twitter.com/BQbXrRU4IU
