Lanning Beginning to Assemble his Staff
New Oregon head coach and current Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning is currently pulling double duty, helping to prepare Georgia's defense for its College Football Playoff Semifinal game versus No. 2 Michigan while also beginning the process of assembling his coaching staff at the University of Oregon.
The third-year defensive coordinator took the Oregon job a week ago after Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) initially broke the news last Friday. However, an official announcement from Georgia or Oregon would not come until Saturday, when Kirby Smart released a statement regarding his well wishes for Lanning and his family, along with announcing Lanning's replacements, following the conclusion of the College Football Playoffs.
Just a week into his new job, having to assemble a staff and scramble to try and keep Oregon's recruiting class afloat with the Early Signing Day coming just days after his hiring, Lanning is experiencing much of the same difficulties Kirby Smart once did when taking the job at Georgia, amid Alabama's playoff run in 2015.
Heading into his second full week on the job, Lanning already looks to have his two coordinators in place. Kenny Dillingham became the first reported hire of the Lanning era, as the new head coach hired Dillingham away from Florida State to become the new offensive coordinator in Eugene.
"Dillingham, 31, is one of the youngest offensive coordinators in college football. He's also coached at Arizona State as well as Auburn in 2019, where me mentored quarterback Bo Nix who went on to break freshman records for completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns the same year the Tigers beat the Ducks."
Max Torres
Then came the hiring of Baylor's Special Teams Coordinator and Safeties Coach Matthew Powledge to become the Ducks' co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach.
With two coordinators in place, Lanning is positioning himself for success early, allowing Oregon's roster and recruits to get familiar early with what the schemes' will be on both sides of the ball. Few may remember Dillingham from his season spent in the plains with Auburn. The most familiar hire for Georgia is the hiring of Marshall Malchow.
Malchow worked with Lanning in their times together at Georgia. Malchow was one of the original staffing hires on Smart's staff, where he served as the Director of Player Personnel. Malchow served four years before leaving following the 2020 season for Texas A&M as the Associate Athletic Director for the Aggies.
The hiring of the former UGA staffer to serve as Lanning's "Chief of Staff for Football" could be a big one as he helped Georgia to top-5 recruiting classes in each season following the 2016 class, Smart's first recruiting class after taking the job.
Lanning is a 35-year old head coach that was a graduate assistant six years ago. He hasn't made a ton of connections throughout his meteoric rise, so expect him to pull heavily from the few places and staffs he has been a part of. Like Alabama, Georgia, and anyone connected to FSU head coach Mike Norvell's staffs from their days together at Memphis.
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