Northwest Showcase: MVPs and top performers, including Archbishop Riordan and FSP talent
The annual Northwest Showcase mega-camp featured more than 1,000 athletes and nearly 50 college coaching staffs for a three-session event Saturday showcasing the top talent in the West region.
Guest speakers included four Pac-12 head coaches - Oregon's Dan Lanning, Oregon State's Jonathan Smith, Washington's Kalen DeBoer and Washington State's Jake Dickert - as well as staff members from Boise State, Colorado State, Hawaii, Miami, Louisville, Texas and many others.
Here's a look at the event MVPs and some standouts from the Western Oregon University event:
Session 1: Specialists only
Session 2 MVP: AJ Tanupo, Eastside Catholic (Washington); 2024
The 6-foot-3, 265-pound defensive lineman doesn't "wow" you with his size.
But the strength and violence with which he plays is undeniable.
Tanupo dominated nearly every rep he took, and he practically dared fellow campers to move him out of line.
It never happened.
Tanupo holds offers from Arizona and Montana State.
Session 3 MVP: Chris Lawson, Archbishop Riordan (California); 2025
Billed as one of the headliners of the camp, Chris Lawson didn't disappoint.
The 6-foot, 175-pound pass-catcher was dominant in one-on-ones.
He holds offers from Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon, Oregon State, Utah, Washington, Washington State and others.
QB MVP: Michael Mitchell, Archbishop Riordan (California); 2026
Prior to Session 3, Archbishop Riordan wide receivers Tyrone Jackson (2024; Pac-12 offers) and Cynai Thomas (2026; potential national prospect) raved about the talent of Michael Mitchell.
He delivered Saturday, earning quarterback MVP.
The 5-foot-10, 160-pound passer holds offers from Arizona State, Hawaii, San Jose State, UNLV and Washington State.
RB MVP: Jordin Thomas, Lincoln (California); 2025
Jordin Thomas is a 5-foot-10, 190-pound explosive athlete who showed why he's being coveted by some major Pac-12 programs.
In a weaker-than-average running back group, Thomas was a clear standout.
He holds offers from Arizona, Utah, Washington and Washington State.
WR MVP: Caden Butler, Olathe North (Kansas); 2025
There are a few players who had a strong argument to be the overall camp MVP, and Caden Butler certainly belonged in that discussion.
The 6-foot, 175-pound playmaker was open all day and absolutely dominated the competition.
Butler picked up offers from Oregon and Washington on the spot, adding to an offer sheet that already consisted of Oregon State.
OL MVP: Tommy Tofi, Archbishop Riordan (California); 2026
Camp officials likely struggled to come up with just one MVP from the position (more on that later).
But Tommy Tofi was quite clearly a standout.
Only a 2026 prospect, the 6-foot-7, 330-pound lineman already holds offers from Hawaii, Idaho, Nebraska, Nevada.
He will be a national recruit.
DL MVP: Hatimu Letisi, South Salem (Oregon); 2024
This isn't a surprise to folks who pay close attention to Oregon high school football, but Hatimu Latisi was borderline unblockable on the edge Saturday.
While the 6-foot-1, 250-pound defensive lineman is undersized, he's far from intimidated.
Letisi called out some of the camp's top offensive linemen for one-on-one reps and won nearly all of them.
Showing you can perform against the best is a big part of what showcase events are all about, and Letisi embodied that spirit all day.
LB MVP: Zaydrius Rainey-Sale, Bethel (Washington); 2025
The linebacker group at the Northwest Showcase was absolutely stellar, and the offers that came out of the camp highlighted that depth.
But the group's MVP, and arguably the MVP of Session 2 overall, was Zaydrius Rainey-Sale.
The still-growing 6-foot-2, 220-pound 'backer holds early offers from Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Oregon State, Penn State, Washington and Washington State.
Rainey-Sale has All-American potential.
DB MVP: Ambrose Marsh, Eastside Catholic (Washington); 2024
It was a good wide receiver group at the top of the board, so defensive backs were challenged Saturday.
Ambrose Marsh was up to the task.
The 6-foot-1, 170-pound defensive back left the camp with an offer from Portland State.
Nemec's Notables
Demetri Manning, Bellevue (Washington); 2025
There was plenty of buzz around the offensive line group when it came to Demetri Manning.
The 6-foot-7, 340-pound lineman clearly has the size, but for some programs the question was his foot speed.
He answered that for a lot of programs Saturday, and picked up new offers from California, Hawaii and Washington.
Terrell Kim, North Medford (Oregon); 2024
A.J. Tanupo may have been the Session 2 MVP, but the only player who seemed to stonewall him Saturday was Terrell Kim, who proved to be a difficult man to maneuver once he got his hands on defenders.
The 6-foot-3, 328-pound interior offensive lineman holds offers from Portland State, San Jose State and Western Oregon, but there's a growing sense that high-end Mountain West and Pac-12 programs are about to come calling.
Kim, who is a gentle giant off the field. was a monster at WOU.
OT Zac Stascausky, Central Catholic (Oregon); 2025
When Central Catholic coach Steve Pyne says he's got a potential Sunday guy it's usually something to monitor closely.
Offensive tackle Zac Stascausky is a 6-foot-6, easy 255-pound athlete who could easily carry 300 pounds.
There's a few good offensive linemen in Oregon right now, but if you're projecting for "who is the best football player in 3-4 years?" my money is on Stascausky, who is already one of the state's best.
TE Noah Flores, Graham-Kapowsin (Washington); 2025
A 6-foot-4, 230-pound pass-catcher, Noah Flores is rated the nation's No. 15 tight end.
I just want to go on record saying I think it would be hard to find 10 tight ends better than him in the class of 2025.
He's simply too good of an athlete.
He holds. offers from Arizona, Louisville, Michigan, Penn State, Washington and others.
LB Dexter Foster, Central Catholic (Oregon); 2024
A former Roosevelt star, Dexter Foster was a little bit of an unknown to folks out of the PIL (and Central Catholic) prior to Saturday.
The 6-foot-4, athlete was stellar and earned offers from Montana State and Oregon State during the camp.
LB Clay Martineau, Oregon City (Oregon); 2024
The prospect I've (mistakenly) overlooked the most in the 2024 cycle is Clay Martineau.
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound 'backer earned an offer from Washington after yet another impressive showing, and he's clearly becoming one of the top linebackers in the region.
College coaches should be giving him a long look!
CB Josiah Molden, West Linn (Oregon); 2027
Still technically an eighth grader, Josiah Molden already holds an offer from Oregon and his play Saturday earned him another from Washington.
Molden has a chance to be one of the most technically-sound cornerbacks in the history of the region and is eager to learn the game.
Simply put, he's special.
Sidenote: Shoutout West Linn on back-to-back baseball state championships
Ford Sports Performance standouts
It is amazing that every year at the Northwest Showcase, an event featuring over 1,000 kids and the best players along the West Coast, that Ford Sports Performances leaves with multiple offers and MVP awards seemingly every single time.
And they are always well-deserved.
FSP churns out elite athletes and prepares them to perform on the big stage when the pressure is cranked up.
That's a credit to what they are doing and what FSP has built.
While the above Washington athletes all largely train with FSP, the program also saw offers go out to O'Dea defensive lineman F.A. Siale (2026; Oregon State) and Archbishop Murphy athlete Diontaye Moorman (2024; Portland State).
