Oregon’s trump card is not in its players. Dan Lanning is a good coach, sure. But how does he get the guys in the program that make him do what he does best? Oregon is ruling college football recruitments at the moment, with the program landing a slew of stellar talents. It’s not just recruits like Dillon Gabriel or Bo Nix who made the program great. It’s the man who got them to sign with the Ducks who deserves all the credit. He’s getting a 500K paycheck to bring these guys, and his work experience includes stints under Nick Saban and Kirby Smart. And yet, you wouldn’t be able to pick him out from the staff register right off the bat.

Fun fact: there’s no official information about Oregon’s dark horse on its athletics webpage. The reason why Oregon recruiting has become an example for CFB programs is because of its Chief of Staff, Marshall Malchow. He has quietly been running the show and has an impressive eye for talent. He enjoys a remarkably insignificant air around him, despite giving the program greats like Gabriel. On3’s J.D. PicKell even likened him to the man behind the curtain from The Wizard of Oz. He’s the one in charge of the machinery and says, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.”

“He’s [Malchow] going to play a massive role in Oregon, ultimately hoisting a national championship trophy when it’s all said and done for Dan Lanning and his time in Eugene,” PicKell said. But like the man behind the curtain, Malchow is almost like a ghost to the larger audience. Not many know how crucial he is to the recruiting system at Oregon, and what he has been able to produce for the program. However, his peers say that Malchow is an “elite evaluator” and “organizer,” which has reflected in his time so far in Oregon.

“Oregon now, as an organization, has elevated to a point where they are tier one in college football,” PicKell noted. This is a team that beat the current National Champions, OSU, during the regular season. “They’ve recruited now in the top 10 multiple times since Dan Lennon has been there.” Even now, in the 2025 cycle, the Ducks sit comfortably in the 4 position. For 2026, Oregon is No. 7. What sets Malchow’s strategy apart is its focus on the quality of the players while narrowing down on their recruits.

“Everyone in tier one has the best talent. Where the Marshall Malchow effect comes into play here [is on] the evaluation side. It comes to getting the right five stars,” PicKell said of the man’s ability to recruit quality personnel. Malchow’s recruits aren’t always table-toppers. But they produce the result that Lanning expects from his guys. Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel were both transfer portal recruits, and they ended up being Heisman finalists. Marshall Malchow takes charge of recruiting so that Dan Lanning can focus on being a great coach. It looks like the program is nearly there to secure another major talent.

Dan Lanning is close to landing prime USC target

Hot behind Dan Lanning’s heels in the recruiting class is Lincoln Riley. It’s also been some time since Lanning landed a notable talent, i.e. Xavier Lherisse. Lanning is close to landing his next elite target, who also happens to have a favorite in USC. The player in question is Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, who, according to insider Max Torres, is expected to land at Oregon soon.

“Oregon has always been a top school for me, but they have recently really started to separate themselves from the other schools,” Dixon-Wyatt told On3. He’d be a great addition to a program that saw Dakorien Moore become the phenomenon that he is today. The WR comes with 50 catches in 693 yards and 5 TDs from his last season at Mater Dei. He will announce his commitment on May 4. Mater Dei has a strong connection with Oregon, which can also be a key factor in his decision to commit.

Oregon is having more than just a swell time at recruiting – that’s been the case for the past few cycles. And Marshall Malchow is the magician who produces those results. He doesn’t go all gung-ho in recruiting, but instead uses his recruiting genius to tap into the right kinds of talents for Oregon. A result of that can soon be seen in Dixon-Wyatt, should he choose to commit to the program.