Why Oklahoma State quarterback commit Maealiuaki Smith 'was born to' throw the football

STILLWATER — When Patrick Walsh first saw Maealiuaki Smith throw a football three years ago, the coach quickly recognized Smith’s natural skill.

“It’s like he was born to do it,” said Walsh, the head coach at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, California. “Effortless release. His mechanics are great.”

Last spring, one college recruiter arrived at Serra, saw Smith throw two passes and offered a scholarship.

That recruiter was not Oklahoma State quarterbacks coach Tim Rattay, who ultimately won the recruiting battle for the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Smith. But there’s no questioning what Rattay saw in his latest quarterback prospect.

Regarded as the top recruit in the Cowboys’ 2024 class, Smith — whose first name is pronounced Maya-lu-aw-kee — is set to sign his letter of intent when the early signing period opens Wednesday morning.

“From a physical standpoint, he’s got the height,” Walsh said. “He’s got the frame to put on weight, which he’ll do at a college program. And he’s got the physical attributes to be great at the next level.

“And from a mental perspective, he’s a very tough individual. He’s one of those guys you want with the ball when the game’s on the line.”

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'Like the Brock Purdy type'

And Smith is a winner. Since becoming the Padres’ starting quarterback as a junior, he is 25-2, with both losses coming against elite powerhouse programs in the state finals. Last year, Serra lost to St. John Bosco, located in southern Los Angeles County, and this season, they fell to nationally renowned Mater Dei in Santa Ana.

“That’s a different level of high school football. They aren’t even high school football, they’re more like small college-type teams,” Walsh said. “Joe Montana could be your quarterback and you’d lose by 50. And we didn’t even lose by 50.”

All the qualities Walsh witnessed over the last three years since Smith arrived at Serra, Danny Hernandez has been aware of for even longer.

A private quarterback coach and mentor in the Los Angeles area, Hernandez first began working with Smith when he was just a seventh-grader. Smith would make the nearly six-hour trip from Northern California to Southern California as often as possible to work with Hernandez.

“He’s always been clean mechanically,” Hernandez said. “He picked things up pretty quick.

“Because he was making that trip from NorCal, I wouldn’t get a chance to see him every week. So when I would see him, I’d give him some homework to work on. And I could tell he had been working on that stuff, because when he would come back, you could see he was getting better on those little details we were working on.”

Neither of the coaches have faced challenges in Smith’s work ethic.

“The dedication was something that was always there,” Hernandez said. “The family is definitely on board and they make his training a priority.”

Within his team at Serra, Smith is a natural leader. He was named a captain and has been a bonding force in the locker room.

“Everyone on the team loves him,” Walsh said. “He’s not on the Drew Brees side of things, where you would always see Brees yelling at people. He’s more like the Brock Purdy type, just get in, do your job. Not super-vocal outwardly, but in his own circles, he’s a vocal leader and revered by his friends.”

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OSU recruit went to same high school as Tom Brady

Smith wouldn’t fall into the category of dual-threat quarterback, but he’s certainly more mobile than the most famous Serra alumnus, NFL legend Tom Brady.

Smith is agile in the pocket and can keep plays alive with his feet when needed.

Walsh offers a disclaimer before he discusses his quarterback’s stats, making known the limitations his star quarterback faced during his stellar senior season.

“We had eight games that were a running clock in the fourth quarter,” Walsh said, referencing the California high school rule dictating a non-stop clock for the fourth quarter of games in which a team is ahead by 35 or more. “We had one game where they started the running clock in the second quarter.”

The Padres dominated so many games during a 12-1 season that Smith didn’t get the chance to pile up crazy numbers.

Smith threw for 1,778 yards with 21 touchdowns and just two interceptions, averaging only 17.5 pass attempts per game because his coach wasn't interested in running up scores just to boost his players’ stat lines.

“When we were running the clock, those guys were out,” Walsh said of Smith and his other top playmakers.

The Padres had two games that were decided by less than 28 points all season.

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Relationships key for Maealiuaki Smith 

Smith built a strong relationship with Rattay, who is no stranger to Northern California, having played six years with the San Francisco 49ers. And with Smith’s Polynesian roots, he also connected strongly with OSU player development specialist Beni Tonga, who has played a key role in the Cowboys’ recruiting efforts with Polynesian players.

Family is vital in the Smith family’s culture, and Rattay and Tonga strongly represented that value in their recruitment.

“He has a very supportive family,” Walsh said. “He has several siblings and everyone’s all in on Maealiuaki.”

Smith had plenty of offers among the 20 he received that would’ve kept him closer to home, with the likes of Cal, BYU, Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Washington. And he had other major programs like Florida State, Missouri, Louisville and North Carolina State in the mix.

But his connection with Rattay ultimately sealed the deal for the Cowboys.

“Coach Rattay is a true professional,” Walsh said. “He’s a very humble guy, he’s down to earth. He’s everything that we love and we believe coaches should be at that level.

“He really did a great job recruiting Maealiuaki and his family.”

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Oklahoma State 2024 recruiting class

Here’s a look at the players committed to Oklahoma State for football in the class of 2024:

• Name, Position, Height, Weight, Hometown (School)

• Jonathan Agumadu, LB, 6-1, 220, McKinney, Texas

• Landyn Cleveland, S, 6-0, 185, Mansfield, Texas (Legacy)

• Rodney Fields, RB, 5-9, 187, Del City

• Josh Ford, TE, 6-5, 230, Stillwater

• Tre Griffiths, WR, 6-3, 205, Keller, Texas

• Caleb Hackleman, OL, 6-6, 275, Texarkana, Texas (Pleasant Grove)

• Chauncey Johnson, OL, 6-4, 295, Lonoke, Arkansas

• Temerrick Johnson, OLB/DE, 6-3, 205, Midlothian, Texas (Heritage)

• David Kabongo, S, 5-11, 180, Trophy Club, Texas (Byron Nelson)

• Nuku Mafi, OL, 6-4, 295, Salt Lake City (West)

• Willie Nelson, DB, 5-9, 170, Longview, Texas

• Armstrong Nnodim, DL, 6-2, 250, Mesquite, Texas (Horn)

• Maealiuaki Smith, QB, 6-4, 210, San Mateo, California (Junipero Serra)

• Luke Webb, DE, 6-3, 280, Deer Park, Texas

• Gunnar Wilson, LB, 6-2, 210, Melissa, Texas

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State QB commit Maealiuaki Smith 'was born to' throw football