Oregon high school football has wave of young bluechip talent coming

The state of Oregon has experienced a slight downturn when it comes to top-end talent in recent years.

The class of 2017 produced five bluechip recruits and two others who went on to play in the NFL, Cole Turner (No. 9) and Teagan Quitoriano (No. 13). 

In the class of 2024, 247Sports doesn't list a single Oregon high school prospect higher than a three-star talent.

But that is about to change.

Here are three young Oregon high school prospects who project as national recruits: 

West Linn cornerback Josiah Molden (2027) - The son of former NFL first-round draft pick Alex Molden and younger brother of Tennessee Titans defensive back Elijah Molden, Josiah Molden is the next man up.

The soon-to-be freshman already holds offers from Nevada, Oregon, Oregon State, Portland State and Washington.

Molden, a  6-foot, 160-pound cornerback, is likely to start from Day 1 at West Linn and has already gotten some high school experience under his belt.

In a recent spring scrimmage, Molden was thrown at a few times. He registered an interception, a pass break-up and didn't give up a completion.

During Elijah Molden's high school career, he was an off-the-charts technician at the position, understanding advanced concepts not introduced to most defensive backs until college - or even the NFL.

Josiah is undergoing a similar education from his dad, and appears to be every bit the sponge for that knowledge that his older brother was.

A lot can happen between Molden's eighth grade summer and the start of his college career, but he currently has the highest grade I've ever given to an incoming freshman.

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Lakeridge athlete Ansu Sanoe (2026) - The 6-foot-2, 210-pound athlete already holds offers from Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Miami, Oregon, Oregon State, Tennessee and Washington State.

Offers from Georgia, Miami and Tennessee are particularly noteworthy, as those programs don't often offer young players from Oregon. 

While it remains to be seen what position his body with grow into, Sanoe could be a running back, linebacker or safety at the collegiate level.

Sanoe is already a national recruit.

The bigger question for him is, "What will he become?"

Baker athlete Rasean Jones (2026) - As an eighth grader, Rasean Jones posted the nation's No. 1 time in the hurdles.

As a freshman, he remained in the top-10 nationally for his class - even as the height of the hurdles went up (a good sign). In fact, Jones set the Oregon freshman record (regardless of class level) with a 14.85 110-hurdle time on his way to state titles in the 110 and 300 hurdles. 

That's intriguing all by itself.

But throw in that the 6-foot-2, 195-pound 15-year-old athlete was all-league on both sides of the ball as a freshman on the football field and it really opens some eyes.

Last week he participated in the Les Schwab Bowl, an all-star game featuring the top players from around the state (dozens of all-state performers).

Jones left the event with the Player of the Week Award given to the most impressive athlete, not just in the game, but the entire week of practice.

In the game itself, Jones delivered two of the game's biggest hits as a special teamer, was a go-to option at receiver and was clearly a standout on a field featuring mostly former all-state high schoolers who are headed off to college. 

My comp for him after the contest? A faster Silas Starr, a 2020 Central Catholic wide receiver who signed with Stanford. 

Jones is a surprisingly good route runner and natural catcher of the football. Furthermore, coaches raved about his character and work ethic after the week. 

He hasn't had any advanced training yet, but there's a ton to like in the young Baker star.

While there's a lot of developmental work still to be done, Jones has sky-high upside.