Football season has landed in Oregon, and the state’s top high school talent is already lining up for the spotlight.
Most schools open Friday, Aug. 28, with Oregon’s Ducks set to kick off on Sept. 5.
In the meantime, DuckTerritory.com put together its current Top 10 in-state recruits for the 2026 high school football season, using 247Sports ratings. The list is especially notable for Oregon because the Ducks have already landed four in-state commitments in the 2027 cycle - a big shift from three of the last four recruiting classes, when Oregon had only one priority in-state commit.
Those four Ducks pledges are all on the list: West Linn cornerback Josiah Molden, Lake Oswego defensive lineman Josh Christensen, Portland Central Catholic tight end George VanSandt, and Happy Valley Nelson wide receiver Malachi Garlington.
Molden leads the way at No. 1.
He’s expected to be a full-go after an injury late last season, and he stands alone as the only four-star recruit in Oregon’s 2027 class. Behind him, the 2028 group already looks loaded, with Lake Oswego tight end Presley DeLance emerging as the headliner.
DeLance checks in at No. 2 overall. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound tight end is rated a four-star with a 90 score by 247Sports, ranked No. 220 nationally and No. 4 at his position. His offer list is deep, with Oregon, Arizona, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Oregon State, Boise State, Washington State, UNLV, and Sacramento State among the schools listed.
Christensen comes in at No. 3 as another Oregon commit. The source also notes that two of the Ducks’ four pledges will open on Friday: Garlington and Nelson take on Grants Pass, while Christensen and Lake Oswego meet Willamette High School. Next week, VanSandt and Central Catholic are set to face Molden and West Linn.
Central Catholic defensive lineman PJ Tautu sits at No. 4.
The 2028 prospect is a 3-star recruit with an 88 score, measuring 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds. He’s ranked No. 521 nationally and No. 37 at his position, and his offer list includes Arizona, BYU, Washington, Oregon State, Washington State, San Diego State, UNLV, and Portland State.
VanSandt lands at No. 5.
The Oregon commit is a 3-star tight end with an 86 score, listed at 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds. He’s ranked No. 1,338 nationally and No. 65 among tight ends, and his offers include Arkansas, Oregon State, Washington State, San Diego State, Air Force, Navy, Nevada, New Mexico, and more.
The rest of the Top 10 includes Willamette quarterback Zeke Thomas, a Boise State commit in the 2028 class, at No. 6; Garlington at No. 9 as an Oregon commit; and Mountain View tight end Jettson Gillam at No. 10 as a Washington State commit.
Here’s the full Top 10 as listed by 247Sports ranking score, with ties broken by class and then national ranking: No. 1 Molden, No.
2 DeLance, No. 3 Christensen, No.
4 Tautu, No. 5 VanSandt, No.
6 Thomas, No. 9 Garlington, and No.
10 Gillam.
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