Molden lands Stanford offer

Elijah Molden suffered a scary head injury six weeks ago at a passing tournament in Las Vegas and has been recovering steadily as he works his way back to full strength.

On Thursday night, the four-star cornerback from West Linn, Ore., received some encouraging news that left him even more motivated than before, landing a scholarship offer from Stanford.

"This offer means a great deal to me," Molden said. "Coach (Randy) Hart has been recruiting me and I've always loved how academics are so important there. The first thing coach Hart told me was that if I go there, you are guaranteed a great job after your sports career."

The 5-foot-10, 172-pound corner who has emerged as one of the top defensive backs in the region for the 2017 class intends to visit the Cardinal in a month and a half. He's also eying a visit to in-state Oregon, which has also offered, and Molden said Michigan is planning to drop by his school this spring to see him in person.

"Out of the schools that have contacted me, Stanford is very high up there," Molden said. "I would definitely say top three. But I'm not ready to rush into any decisions. I hope I get looks from the SEC and other conferences just to see what's out there."

Molden suffered a fractured skull that required surgery and he's been working out six days a week, sometimes even twice a day. Before the injury, he was a top performer at the Pylon 7v7 national tournament, showing good coverage skills and technique to suffocate receivers near the line of scrimmage.

Molden also had an impressive sophomore season on the offensive side of the ball, rushing for 784 yards and nine touchdowns on 110 carries. He also had 38 receptions for 542 yards and seven scores.