Fast-rising 2026 linebacker Donnie Vercher has impressive season debut for Central Catholic (Oregon)

Vercher has an offer from UNLV, and he’s talked with Oregon State, Oregon, Boise State and Washington State

Donnie Vercher had a team-high five tackles in Central Catholic's season-opening 35-15 win over Leilehua of Hawaii. / Photo by Austin White, The Portland Tribune

Graduation losses and transfers along the defensive front for Central Catholic equal opportunities for players who were stuck in secondary roles during last year’s 6A state championship run.

One such player is junior linebacker Donnie Vercher, who showed in Friday’s 35-15 season-opening victory over Leilehua of Wahiawa, Hawaii, that he’s worthy of the hype he’s started receiving on the recruiting trail.

Vercher received spot duty last season (14 tackles and a sack)  playing behind all-state defensive end Dexter Foster and a deep corps of edge rushers.

Foster is now at Oregon State, and two others who were ahead of Vercher in the pecking order — seniors Zachary Davis (Homestead, Fla.) and Phoenix-Orion Dicosmo (Bergen Catholic), a three-star recruit who returned home to New Jersey — transferred out of state in August.

The Rams’ front seven hardly missed a beat against the Mules, with Vercher having a standout performance with a team-high five tackles, two tackles for loss (including on fourth down to end Leilehua's opening drive) and a strip sack.

“I’m just trying to go game by game,” Vercher said. “I had a good game this game, but I’m already looking forward  to the next game and trying to get better,.”

Vercher played primarily on the outside as a sophomore, but with the arrival of new coach Charlie Landgraf, he got plenty of reps at outside and middle linebacker Friday as the Rams try to replace graduated all-state middle linebacker Jeremiah Katsuta (now at Pacific University in Forest Grove).

“Donnie is one of our most physical, athletic players, but the thing I love about him the most is that he just wants to help the team win,” Landgraf said. “We repped him a lot at middle linebacker, and then (Friday), we played him outside. He’s a versatile player that can do a lot of things on the defensive side of the ball.”

It’s that versatility that has helped Vercher shoot up the recruiting rankings the past couple of months. The three-star recruit is No. 8 on 247Sports’ list of the state’s class of 2026 prospects after barely registering on radars before the summer.

He received his first FBS offer in May from UNLV, and he’s talked with Oregon State, Oregon, Boise State and Washington State.

“I’m just trying to prove myself and show why I am one of the best players in the nation,” Vercher said.

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