Elijah Molden to Washington: Huskies Land 4-Star CB Prospect

Washington added a potential difference-maker to its future secondary Saturday when cornerback prospect Elijah Molden joined the Huskies' 2017 recruiting class.

Molden announced his decision on Twitter:

The 5'10", 175-pound Molden is a 4-star prospect and the No. 142 overall player, No. 17 cornerback and No. 1 cornerback from the state of Oregon in the 2017 class, per Scout.

Molden drew attention from a number of blue-chip programs across the country as a recruit, and the hometown Oregon Ducks seemed to have an inside track for him due to his proximity to the program. 

Jason Fraychineaud of Fox Sports noted Molden’s father actually played at Oregon.

Outside of Oregon and Washington, programs such as Notre Dame, Arizona State, California, Arizona, Miami and Stanford also pursued the talented playmaker.

Washington has put itself in the national conversation this season. Head coach Chris Petersen has the Huskies ranked fourth in the College Football Playoff standings with a perfect 9-0 record. 

That success is starting to show on the recruiting trail, too. Scout ranks the Huskies (No. 13) in the top 20 of next year's recruiting rankings. They had nine 4-star players before Molden gave his pledge to the program. 

Hudl shared some highlights from Molden’s junior season in high school that likely drew the attention of so many programs:

Scout provided a breakdown of Molden’s skill set and pointed to his instincts and high football IQ that help him diagnose routes and "break on the ball." Molden is also physically strong, which helps in press coverage, and he is athletic enough to keep up with receivers downfield and when changing directions.

That is the type of talent that will help Molden compete for playing time early in his college career. Cornerbacks and secondary members are becoming increasingly important at the college level as diverse offenses look to move the ball through the air and force defenders to make tackles in space on short screen passes.

Molden will help the Washington secondary do just that once he develops at the collegiate level.