Visit report: Elijah Molden
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One of the nation's top defensive backs in the 2017 class returned to Stanford over the weekend for his third trip to The Farm.
Four-star corner Elijah Molden took an unofficial visit to Palo Alto to watch the Cardinal's victory over USC.
"It as good - just a little stop to check out a game," Molden said. "It was my first game I went to (at Stanford), so that was really fun for me."
"Just the way the defense played and the way the team played altogether," stood out during the Cardinal's victory over USC, Molden said.
Molden thought highly of the performance of the Cardinal secondary.
"The DB's were in the right place at the right time nearly every snap," Molden said. "And the way Coach Akina - his passion and intensity on the sidelines... He's getting after the defense and getting them better."
In addition to taking in the game, Molden spent time with his visit hosts - sophomore safety Justin Reid and redshirt freshman running back Cameron Scarlett. The duo also hosted Molden on a previous unofficial visit.
"I hung out with my hosts again - Justin Reid and Cameron Scarlett. They both hosted me after and we hung out for a little bit.
"They were just telling me about the opportunities that I'd have and the opportunities that they have right now with summer jobs and whatnot. They're real friendly and I like them a lot. With Cameron, I already knew him before this recruiting thing."
Molden also met with Cardinal head coach David Shaw and defensive backs coach Duane Akina during the trip.
"Now they're just laying back a little bit, saying make the best decision for me," Molden said. "They've told me everything that they could. Same with every school - it's the same way."
All told, the overall strength of the Stanford program and success of the football team made a strong impression on Molden during his trip.
"Just the caliber of a team they are," Molden said. "They're so efficient and they play so smart. They may not have the most athletic players just because of the high academic rate that you need to get in to the school, but they're still one of the best teams in the country."
Molden submitted his application to Stanford a few days ago and he's currently awaiting a response.
With his trip to Stanford behind him, Molden will now take trips to Oregon and Washington before coming to a decision. (He might also squeeze in an official visit to The Farm in January before making a college choice.)
"Around December, maybe January, somewhere around there after the football season (I'll commit to a school)," Molden said.
Molden and his West Linn High School team (which is quarterbacked by 2017 Cardinal baseball commit Tim Tawa) are currently 3-0. Molden has been focused on sharpening his mental approach to the game.
"I worked on a lot of concepts again," Molden said. "Athletically I've been able to do what I want to do making plays and all that stuff. Now it's just the mental side of the game that you can always build off of, so I've been working on that a lot."
