Northwest roundup: Josh Christensen soars; NW players commit

There's a lot going on in the Pacific Northwest this spring on the recruiting trail.   We're seeing players rise up boards, earn eye-opening offers and commit to some of the top programs in the country.   It's a testament to the current state of the talent in Oregon and Washington that some of these athletes suddently find themselves in the national spotlight.   Here's a look at some of the top stories around the region over the past few weeks.   [player_tooltip player_id='1246545' first='Josh' last='Christensen'], [player_tooltip player_id='985348' first='Jayce' last='Halasz'] rise   Lake Oswego's [player_tooltip player_id='1246545' first='Josh' last='Christensen'] was a budding star stuck behind two all-state-caliber seniors last spring when he was MVP of the Northwest Showcase, a camp showing that officially put him on the map.   Since then, the 6-foot-6, 250-pound defensive lineman has experienced a meteoric rise.   The Lake Oswego star was the Three Rivers League Defensive Lineman of the Year and has added significant bulk to his impressive frame.    Colleges are taking notice.    Christensen fits a variety of defensive fronts and has comes with a considerably-high floor given his frame.   He has accumulated double-digit offers, but only recently saw his recruitment take a massive leap forward.   In early April, Christensen received a scholarship offer from the Washington Huskies during an unofficial visit.   Over the weekend, he took a trip to Eugene and secured a recruitment-altering offer from the Oregon Ducks.   It should not be lost on anyone that Dan Lanning's program recruits at a top-five level every year and doesn't give out committable offers willy-nilly.   It's rare to get an in-state offer from Oregon, but Christensen has accomplished that.   Given his size and added weight, a fourth star is not only within striking distance, it has become likely.   Christensen is a story I'll remember for a long time - from a promising rotational player at a power program to a breakout camp star to one of the biggest risers on the entire West Coast.   That takes opportunity and genetic gifts, sure, but it also takes a tremendous amount of hard work and handling an opportunity the right way.   Credit to him!    Class of 2028 Graham-Kapowsin athlete [player_tooltip player_id='985348' first='Jayce' last='Halasz'] began his high school career as an under-six-foot playmaker.   But he's since grown significantly - pushing 6-foot-3 - and still gets in and out of his breaks like a smaller receiver.   Throw in significant top-end speed and Halasz looks like a Power 4 conference prospect.   In fact, he was the highest-rated player in Washington without a Power 4 offer.   Until recently.   That changed recently, as he added a pair of ACC offers from California and Stanford.   Halasz has also taken recent visits to Washington and Oregon and could reach another level if one - or both - of those offers come to fruition.   Halasz could be either a wide receiver or safety at the next level and PRZ has been high on him for quite some time.   It's great to see his hard work getting rewarded with Power 4, high-academic offers.   Oregon players commit   West Linn four-star cornerback [player_tooltip player_id='632957' first='Josiah' last='Molden'] was offered by Oregon in the eighth grade, but he quickly climbed to nearly 20 offers, highlighted by Arizona State, Arkansas, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas, USC, Washington and others.    Now-retired West Linn coach Jon Eagle said just one school - one - contacted him to ask permission if they could offer Molden, or if they felt it could put too much pressure on the budding superstar.   Oregon.   It stuck out to Eagle, and others.   That attention to detail carried throughout Molden's recruitment - with an emphasis on handling the process the right way.   Keep in mind, Molden's father, Alex Molden, was a star for the Ducks in the mid-90's and became an NFL first-round draft pick.   It seems Lanning was hyper-aware of the potential pressure and made certain Molden felt like an individual, and not a “legacy recruit.”   So, it wasn't a huge surprise to see Molden come off the board recently, committing to the Ducks.    Still, it was one of the (many) subtle signs that Oregon just handles the recruiting process differently than other schools.   And that proved to make a big difference in this one.    Class of 2028 Central Catholic tight end [player_tooltip player_id='1242768' first='George' last='VanSandt'] is a 6-foot-5, 235-pound athlete with plenty of potential.   But for some time, class of 2027 tight end Seager Milholen drew the rave reviews.   That has changed some, as Milholen transferred to Bishop Gorman, and VanSandt's stock has skyrocketed.   The hulking athlete has blossomed into a talented blocker and emerging pass-catcher and has drawn massive Power 4 attention.   That recruitment, however, came to an end in mid-April with a commitment to the Arkansas Razorbacks.   VanSandt is a rare “Oregon-to-SEC” prospect and it will be fascinating to see his development, as he's making major strides seemingly by the week.   A third Oregon player came off the board recently with the Idaho Vandals commitment of Silverton athlete [player_tooltip player_id='937036' first='Lincoln' last='Teeney'].   The 5-foot-11, 185-pound athlete was a do-everything playmaker for Silverton on its way to a 5A state title last fall.   He's an underrated player and Idaho may be getting a steal.    [player_tooltip player_id='1003593' first='Tytan' last='McNeal'] update   Eastside Catholic two-sport star [player_tooltip player_id='1003593' first='Tytan' last='McNeal'] is experiencing a whirlwind month.   The 6-foot-5, 215-pound athlete was a standout at the Under Armour regional camp and earned an invite to the Under Armour All-American Game, a massive accomplishment.   McNeal has also taken recent visits to Michigan and Texas, highlighting just how truly coveted he is as a national recruit.   McNeal's recruitment is still open, and with more than 20 scholarship offers, the competition will be fierce until the end.    Northwest climbers   A few Washington players are rising up on the recruiting trail.    Class of 2027 Rainier Beach defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='2101393' first='Achilles' last='Reyna'] has been racking up scholarship offers after picking up football in 2025.   Since March 23, he has picked up offers from Cal, LSU, Texas A&M and Washington.   He's obviously raw, but the ceiling is jaw-dropping.   Wherever he goes, development will be the name of the game for Reyna.   Mountain View (Oregon) tight end/defensive end [player_tooltip player_id='1684534' first='Jettson' last='Gillam'] is a 6-foot-4, 235-pound athlete who is starting to see his recruitment take off.   He picked up his first offer from Eastern Washington in late March, and added Sacramento State and San Diego State in the past few days.    Class of 2027 Graham-Kapowsin defensive back Raymond Lagat has drawn rave reviews from his high school coaches, and has the requisite size (6-foot-2) to be an intriguing prospect.   He picked up his first offer from Eastern Washington recently, and there's belief it may be the start of bigger things.   If not, EWU is a great program and an awesome landing spot for a late bloomer with upside.    Aiming too high   I've spent the past several topics praising players who are rising.   But unfortunately not everyone can be a riser.   Or a Division I prospect.   Every year, I see kids without an offer focusing their spring recruitment on camps and visits to Power 4 conference and FBS schools.   I'm seeing a lot of it on social media again this year.   Generally, if you don't yet have an offer it makes sense to visit small schools to try to get an offer in hand and create some competition.   From there, FCS and Group of 6 FBS programs make sense.   Navigating the recruiting landscape can be very difficult.   But it's important to spend one's resources - money and time - on realistic landing spots.   If you don't have an offer, focus on the small schools and work your way up.

There's a lot going on in the Pacific Northwest this spring on the recruiting trail.