Oregon Makes Move for Defensive Tackle Recruit Malakai Leilua

The Oregon Ducks are firing off signals that they'll be building their 2028 recruiting class soon.

Oregon may have missed out on a commitment from four-star quarterback Josiah Boyd, but did land in his final three, with UCLA and Kentucky as the other contenders. The Ducks also hosted prized four-star athlete Jayce Halasz, who raved about his visit to Eugene.

But now Oregon is prioritizing a fast-rising 2028 recruit who's closing fast on landing 20 total scholarship offers.

Who Oregon is Winning Over on the Recruiting Trail

oregon ducks ucla bruins Bear alexander chris hampton college football recruiting malakai leilua big ten conference — Bear Alexander | Darby Winter

The Ducks eventually must think about building up their trenches after the 2027 recruiting class. Hence why Class of 2028 defensive tackle from Westlake High in Saratoga Springs, Utah Malakai Leilua is now on the watch on the recruiting radar.

Collin Kennedy of 247Sports revealed why Leilua is now one to watch among Ducks fans who follow recruiting efforts.

"Oregon is a big one. The Ducks extended an offer at the start of the month have been building up the relationship here. The scene in Eugene will be one Leilua looks forward to seeing," Kennedy posted on Oct. 23.

Nov. 14 rises as a pivotal date for the Ducks too, especially for coach Dan Lanning, defensive coordinator Chris Hampton and defensive line coach Tony Tuioti. Leilua is scheduled to visit the campus and take in the Michigan at Oregon showdown. That contest is expected to carry some big implications for two teams still vying for a bowl appearance to close out the 2026 season.

Oregon Chasing After a Quick-Footed, Disruptive Machine

oregon ducks aydin breland defensive line usc trojans road game bear alexander jayden maiava lincoln riley dan lanning big te — Oregon defensive lineman Aydin Breland | Darby Winter

Leilua sits at 14 offers and counting, with all of his scholarships arriving either before or during his junior season of high school.

One look at his impact on the field and it becomes easy to see why the Ducks would make a run.

The 6-3, 255-pounder brings an advanced foot explosion that mirrors a cat-quick edge rusher. But that first-step movement already puts him past the line of scrimmage. He flips his motor on from there, penetrating past the interior to create discomfort for quarterbacks and running backs.

oregon ducks uniforms usc trojans matayo uiagalelei dan lanning lincoln rliey nike stormtroopers white los angeles coliseum — Oregon Football / X

Leilua doesn't just rely on foot speed to evade blockers, though. He's proven to have an arsenal of hand moves that make him more advanced compared to his defensive lineman peers, including beating the blocks with arm-over moves, or through a rip move and straight bull rush.

He's a high-energy and high-effort defender who clearly plays with a desire to stack the losses behind the line of scrimmage. He delivered nine solo tackles with four sacks through his first three games. The scary part is Leilua has room to still grow and looks like he'll be one of the nation's most coveted interior defensive linemen on the recruiting trail, plus emerge as one of the top talents out of the always talent-rich Beehive State.

Who Else is Oregon Aiming to Lure in on Defensive Lineman Side

oregon ducks nasir wyatt chris hampton dan lanning defensive changes big ten nebraska cornhuskers bear alexander — Oregon Ducks defensive linemen Teitum Tuioti and Nasir Wyatt | Jake Bunn

So Leilua rises as a headlining Nov. 14 visitor. But the Ducks have hosted two high-profile defensive linemen from the same class recently.

Four-star defensive tackle Trison Satele from Mililani High in Hawaii took in the Oregon-Nebraska showdown. Oregon even hosted the state of Mississippi's top-rated prospect per Rivals Industry Rankings, Geraci Carson, a 6-4, 300-pounder who has the likes of Ole Miss, Texas, LSU and Alabama all over him on the recruiting trail.

Oregon holds no current verbal commits for the 2028 cycle. But the Ducks have three big-name targets they're eyeballing here.

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