Ohio's Top High School Football Quarterbacks Highlighted in Big 50 Countdown

Berea-Midpark's Dylan Papushak and Wadsworth's Brysen Hall lead Northeast Ohio's best at the position, while R.J. Day of Columbus DeSales is one of the state's elite players.

Apr. 6, 2026 at 10:05am

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Cleveland.com is launching its Ohio Big 50 ranking of the state's top high school football players, starting with a position-by-position look at the top quarterbacks. The list includes standouts like R.J. Day of Columbus DeSales, Kaden Estep of Cincinnati Elder, and Brysen Hall of Wadsworth, among others.

Why it matters

Quarterback is one of the most important positions in high school football, and this ranking provides a comprehensive look at the state's top talent at the position. These players will be key to their teams' success and many will go on to play at the college level.

The details

The list of top quarterbacks includes R.J. Day of Columbus DeSales, who has thrown for over 5,700 yards in his career and is a three-star recruit with offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Purdue, and Syracuse. Other notable names include Kaden Estep of Cincinnati Elder, who was an All-Ohio first-team selection last season, and Brysen Hall of Wadsworth, who threw for 2,490 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2025.

  • The Ohio Big 50 ranking will be released by cleveland.com later this summer.
  • The OHSAA will be reorganizing divisions this year based on enrollments and competitive balance.

The players

R.J. Day

The son of Ohio State coach Ryan Day, R.J. Day has DeSales in position to contend for a state championship. He is a three-star prospect with scholarship offers that include Boston College, Cincinnati, Purdue and Syracuse.

Kaden Estep

Estep is the only returning All-Ohio Division I first-team selection at quarterback last season. He led the Cincinnati Elder Panthers to the Greater Catholic League South championship.

Brysen Hall

Hall is on pace to be a four-year starter at Wadsworth and has an offer list that includes Pittsburgh, Kent State, Miami (Ohio) and Toledo.

Dylan Papushak

Papushak emerged as the starting quarterback at Berea-Midpark last year and made the All-Ohio second team in Division I after throwing for 2,496 yards and 27 touchdowns.

Eli Stumpf

A Michigan State commit, Stumpf is Ohio's highest ranked quarterback in the 2027 class by most recruiting services. He threw for 2,436 yards and 31 touchdowns last year for Big Walnut.

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What’s next

The Ohio Big 50 ranking of the state's top high school football players will be released by cleveland.com later this summer.

The takeaway

This position-by-position look at Ohio's top high school football quarterbacks highlights the wealth of talent at the position across the state. These players will be key to their teams' success and many will go on to play at the college level.