Oregon’s push for a national title has another believer in the 2027 class, and this one comes with a familiar last name.
Four-star cornerback Josiah Molden, the top-ranked prospect in Oregon for On3/Rivals, ESPN and 247Sports, says he sees a championship future in Eugene. The West Linn High School standout is one of the headliners in Dan Lanning’s growing 2027 recruiting group, which recently added five-star Hayden Stepp and four-star athlete Tae Walden to open July.
Molden didn’t leave much room for doubt when he spoke to On3’s Adam Gorney.
"Very confident we can get a natty. Do something that my dad (Alex Molden) couldn’t," Molden told Gorney.
That line carries real weight around Oregon. His father, Alex Molden, played for the Ducks from 1992 to 1995 and became known in Eugene for a run of three-interception seasons. He played on teams that had their share of frustration early on, including a 6-6 1992 squad that lost in the Independence Bowl and a 5-6 team in 1993 that missed a bowl.
The back half of Alex Molden’s Oregon career looked different. The Ducks went 9-3 in 1994 and reached the Rose Bowl, then followed with another 9-win season in 1995 under Mike Bellotti, after Rich Brooks left for the St.
Louis Rams. Bellotti’s first Oregon team finished 9-3 and lost in the Cotton Bowl.
Josiah Molden is stepping into a far different version of Oregon football. Before Alex Molden arrived, the Ducks had never hit 10 wins in a season. Since 2000, they’ve put together 16 double-digit-win seasons.
Even with the flash, the uniforms, the NFL pipeline and the recruiting momentum, the same old question hangs over the program: when does Oregon finally win it all? The Ducks are 0-2 in national championship games, and Lanning’s first two teams have come up short in the College Football Playoff, falling between the round of eight and the round of four.
That’s the backdrop for Molden’s commitment outlook, and it’s part of what makes his presence so interesting. He brings the kind of sticky coverage that made his father a favorite in Eugene, while also echoing the path of his brother Elijah Molden, who starred at Washington.
In Other News...
Oregon Just Missed On A Massive 2028 Receiver Recruit
Oregon was in the mix for one of the most coveted wide receiver prospects in the country, but the Ducks came up just short in the race for Jett Harrison, the five-star standout at the top of the 2028 class. The son of NFL Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison and younger brother of Marvin Harrison Jr., Harrison brings a name that already carries real weight in recruiting circles, and his decision adds another chapter to a family line that has long been tied to elite receiver play.
For Oregon, the miss is notable, but it is not a sign that the Ducks are backing off at the position. The staff remains active with several other high-end receivers in the 2027 and 2028 classes, keeping the focus on a group that could still shape the future of the offense. Harrison may be off the board, but the broader chase for blue-chip pass catchers is very much still on. [Read more 🡒]
Former Duck Payton Pritchard Suddenly Faces A Career Defining NBA Chance
Payton Pritchard has already shown he can do more when the Celtics need him to. The former Oregon guard just put together his best season yet, and his numbers jumped when key players were out of the lineup, giving Boston a useful reminder that he is more than a steady reserve. With the roster now shifting after the Jaylen Brown trade, Pritchard suddenly looks like one of the players most likely to inherit a larger slice of the offense.
For Boston, the question is no longer whether Pritchard can handle a bigger role in spurts, but whether he can turn that into something more lasting over the course of a season. He has been productive enough to make the conversation real, and the Celtics will be counting on him to carry that form into next year. If he does, this could become the kind of opportunity that changes how the team views him going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Six Ducks Are Fueling Oregon's Biggest 2026 Hype Test
Oregons 2026 outlook is getting a lot of its early shine from a small group of returners and rising names, with Dante Moore back for his third season and expected to be the centerpiece of the offense. Around him, the Ducks have a mix of proven production and upside: AMauri Washington, Teitum Tuioti, Matayo Uiagalelei, Brandon Finney Jr. and Jamari Johnson all showed enough last season to make this group one of the more intriguing parts of the roster heading into the fall.
Moores standing has already drawn national attention, and the rest of the list helps explain why Oregon keeps showing up in preseason conversations. Washingtons honors, Finneys postseason recognition and Johnsons expanded opportunity all point to a roster that is not just replacing names, but trying to stack more impact players around a quarterback who has become one of the most watched in the sport. The bigger question now is how quickly that talent turns into the kind of on-field edge Oregon will need once the season starts. [Read more 🡒]