Pine-Richland’s Aaron ‘Oobi’ Strader commits to Kent State

By: Bill Hartlep
Sunday, April 5, 2026 | 8:45 PM

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Aaron “Oobi” Strader quarterbacked the highest-scoring offense in WPIAL Class 5A last fall.

His dual-threat abilities helped Pine-Richland reach the WPIAL championship game. They also caught the attention of college coaches.

The junior signal-caller announced on Sunday that he made a verbal commitment to Kent State.

He chose the Golden Flashes over offers from Akron, Central Michigan, Hampton, Marshall, Miami (Ohio), Sacramento State, Syracuse, Temple and Youngstown State.

#AGTG Blessed to announce my commitment to Kent State University #goflashes⚡️ @coachmacarney @CoachCPatt @Coach_LeDonne pic.twitter.com/uCYzN6IKXF

— Aaron "oobi" Strader Jr (@KingOobi) April 5, 2026

Strader (6-0, 180) passed for 2,217 yards and 34 touchdowns and rushed for 762 yards and 12 more scores last season for the Rams, who averaged 45.5 points per game.

The junior has surpassed 4,000 passing yards and 1,200 rushing yards for his career.

The Trib 25 honoree was a first-team all-conference selection and voted second-team all-state.

Kent State tied for sixth in the Division I FBS Mid-American Conference last fall, after finishing 5-7 overall and 4-4 in conference play.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Pine-Richland