Josiah Molden, West Linn 8th grader and son of Ducks legend, receives Oregon offer

Class of 2027 West Linn defensive back Josiah Molden received a scholarship offer from the Oregon Ducks on Wednesday

For the past several years, the whispers around the West Linn football program have been hard to ignore.

And they've come from all angles.

High school athletes. Parents. Even varsity coaches. 

"Have you seen Josiah yet?" 

Josiah Molden, the son of Oregon Ducks legend and retired NFL veteran cornerback Alex Molden and younger brother of former Washington Huskies star and Tennessee Titans defensive back Elijah Molden, has been billed as, "the next great Molden" for some time.

On Wednesday, the Oregon Ducks officially introduced him to the recruiting world, offering him a football scholarship.

#ScoDucks #duckfootball #ClassOf2027 pic.twitter.com/SvMaZfoCZr

— Josiah Molden (@Josiah_Molden) May 3, 2023

While the Athey Creek Middle School eighth grader is still a young prospect, he already has an advanced approach to the game.

His father, Alex, is a former NFL first-round draft pick and current West Linn defensive back coach, who has instructed his son, not just in technique, but also in mastering the finer points of the cornerback position.

That experience has come through an eight-year NFL career, as well as lessons learned by being around several highly successful football coaches and players along the way. 

"Elijah and Josiah... I've taught them to play defensive back at the granular level," Molden said of his sons. "We don't do drills just to do drills. We teach concepts - what is the quarterback thinking, what is the offensive coordinator thinking, what's the down and distance... trying to slow the game down for them. When you understand it at a granular level it doesn't matter who you face, because you have all the components. You add the athleticism and it's the same blueprint I had for Elijah."

But while Elijah was 5-foot-6, 145 pounds as an eighth grader, Josiah is already tipping the scales at 5-foot-11, 165 pounds, which may give him even higher upside down the line.

He's likely to play varsity football as a freshman, but will have to be "head and shoulders" above the competition to earn playing time, according to his dad. 

And there's no doubting Josiah's drive to accomplish that goal.

"First of all, this comes from him," Molden said. "He wants to know, 'What's cover 4? What are the concepts? What can I do when it's third-and-five or third-and-eight?' He wants to learn."  

In many cases, there's concern about the attention an athlete receives after earning a major scholarship offer at such a young age. 

But for Alex and Christin, Josiah's parents, they see it as an opportunity for him to grow and further solidify lessons they've taught all of their children.

"He'll have a spotlight on him, and to some degree, that will give him influence," Molden said. "How are you going to use that influence? We want him to use that to help his team and to be a leader in the classroom. Football goes away, but your character is forever." 

Athletically, Molden projects as a future national recruit.

But it is both his advanced approach and family structure that make those projections seem reasonable at his age.