Oklahoma

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

Published

5 months ago

December 17, 2023

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.”

More: Ollie Gordon II’s announcement on Oklahoma State football will come ‘on my own time’

‘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.”

More: How do Oklahoma State football’s transfer portal gains, losses stack up a year later?

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.

More: Oklahoma State football WR Jaden Bray among Cowboys in transfer portal. Here’s the list

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.”

More: Why self-scouting is key for Bryan Nardo, Oklahoma State football ahead of Texas Bowl

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

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Oklahoma

FSU softball vs. Oklahoma: Preview, how to watch, live updates

Published

2 hours ago

May 23, 2024

Press Room

FSU softball vs. Oklahoma: Preview, how to watch, live updates

Florida State softball swept its way through the Tallahassee Regional, taking down Chattanooga, UCF and Auburn.

Now, they will face a familiar face in the No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners.

Oklahoma is 52-6 overall, and 22-5 in the Big 12 conference. Softball fans will notice that the Sooners have lost more games than usual but are still the same dominant force they always have been. Their first loss came to Louisiana in extra innings, and since then they have dropped series to Texas and Oklahoma State, with another loss to BYU. In their Norman Regional, they took wins against Cleveland State and Oregon.

Kelly Maxwell, after transferring from Oklahoma State, has been the workhorse for the Sooners. With a team leading 121.1 innings, Maxwell has a 1.90 ERA and a 19-2 record. During this time, she has 72 H, 33 R, 42 BB, 127 SO and a .170 B/AVG. Nicole May has been a staple in the OU pitching staff for 5 years, and is now one of the top arms. In 75.2 IP, May has the highest ERA, with a 2.41. She also has 64 H, 29 R, 22 BB, 84 SO and a .224 B/AVG.

Other Key Pitchers:

Kierston Deal: 1.62 ERA / 12-1 W-L / 69 IP / 40 H / 17 R / 17 BB / 64 SO / .162 B/AVG.

Despite not being a top bat in terms of batting average, Tiare Jennings is the team leader in homeruns. With 21 long balls, Jennings also has a .374 BA, 49 R, 64 H, 14 2B, 61 RBI, 31 BB. Kinzie Hansen leads in batting average, with .420, as well as 29 R, 55 H, 8 HR, 33 RBI, and 15 BB.

Other Key Hitters:

Ella Parker: .415 BA / 56 R / 14 2B / 12 HR / 57 RBI / 29 BB

Rylie Boone: .417 BA / 37 R / 63 H / 12 2B / 24 RBI / 10 BB

FSU vs. Oklahoma: Last Matchup

The ‘Noles and Sooners saw each other in the Championship Series of the Women’s College World Series, last season. OU swept FSU in two games, with a 3-1 win in the final game. Kathryn Sandercock pitched all 7 innings, giving up 8 H, 3 R with 3 SO. Alex Storako and Jordy Bahl combined for the Sooners 3rd straight national championship. Mack Leonard provided the lone RBI, on a homerun in the 4th inning, giving FSU the lead at the time.

FSU vs. Oklahoma: Stats Comparison

ERA: FSU (3.60) OU (1.82)

Batting Average: FSU (.336) OU (.365)

Scoring: FSU (7.52) OU (8.07)

On Base Percentage: FSU (.421) OU (.471)

FSU vs. Oklahoma in Super Regionals: How to Watch, Stream

Thursday, May 23rd

Time: 7 pm ET
Channel: ESPN2

Friday, May 24th

Time: 8 pm ET
Channel: ESPN2

Saturday, May 25th (if necessary)

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Oklahoma

Red Raiders fall to Oklahoma State

Published

9 hours ago

May 23, 2024

Press Room

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Pick your poison:

Red Raider batters struck out 14 times.

Texas Tech pitchers gave up 13 walks.

It led to a 7-2 loss to 2nd Seeded Oklahoma State, Thursday morning, at the Big 12 Championship in Arlington.

Down 4-0, Gavin Kash hit a two run homer in the 7th to bring Tech within 2 at 4-2.

Red Raiders pitchers walked in a couple runs, and the lead ballooned back up to 7-2 after seven innings.

The defeat puts Texas Tech in the losers bracket, where they will play Cincinnati 4pm Thursday in an elimination game.

The Cincinnati Bearcats beat Texas to eliminate the Longhorns Wednesday.

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Oklahoma

OU Softball: How Oklahoma’s Seniors Came Together to Spur Another Postseason Run

Published

16 hours ago

May 22, 2024

Press Room

OU Softball: How Oklahoma’s Seniors Came Together to Spur Another Postseason Run

NORMAN — The 2024 season hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Oklahoma.

Patty Gasso’s Sooners dropped their first Big 12 series since 2011 in a loss to Texas in Austin.

And then it happened again.

OU lost the first two Bedlam contests of the year in a Freaky Friday-style body swap. Oklahoma State played the role of loose-swinging, home run-hitting favorites while the Sooners capitulated late.

It was uncharted territory for a team that lost a single game in 2023 and a senior class that knows nothing but winning back-to-back-to-back national titles.

“There’s a good group of us on the team that have never been kicked in the teeth before,” OU catcher Kinzie Hansen said after Oklahoma fell to BYU on April 12.

Oklahoma found a bit of momentum in the regular season finale, avoiding a sweep at the hands of the Cowgirls, and the Sooners rolled that into a Big 12 Tournament title where OU exacted revenge on Texas.

The clutch hitting was back, and the dominant performances in the circle returned in Oklahoma City. But that wasn’t a result of the Sooners simply waking up because there was another conference title on the line against the Longhorns.

“Our team came together and worked out some things behind closed doors that a lot of teams don’t do,” Gasso said after beating Texas. “And that’s why we’re here.”

The progress made behind the scenes saw the Sooners take down Oregon twice in last weekend’s regional action, and has 2-seeded Oklahoma ready to host 15-seeded Florida State at Love’s Field on Thursday.

The shift was subtle but important, said senior third baseman Alyssa Brito, and it has the Sooners making the most of their final postseason run with 10 seniors at the helm.

“When we really stepped back for a second,” Brito said on Tuesday, “and thought about the fact that like we get to only play together for a couple of weeks, I think that kind of shifted our perspective.

“And (I) was like, I don’t get to play with Tiare Jennings and Kinzie Hansen and Rylie Boone for all my life.”

Gasso’s teams always seem to find one guiding light for why they are working so hard to play softball, finding their “why”.

For this talented group of seniors, finding a way to come together for one last ride and ensuring they leave Oklahoma with no regrets is the rallying cry.

The spotlight has been focused on the Sooners for the better part of three years. Gasso often references the pressure of outside expectations. Oklahoma is expected to play a perfect game every time it steps onto the field, and the only players who understand the gravity of those expectations are teammates.

“Living in this space is hard,” Brito said. “… We had to step back and understand like, ‘OK it’s hard. It’s gonna be hard.’ Those are conversations that maybe not a lot of people on teams have and that’s okay.

“But for us, we had to really get into that and understand, how are we going to handle living in this space and moving forward, what are we going to do side by side?”

Since dropping Game 2 of Bedlam, the Sooners have been up for the challenge.

Oklahoma rebounded with a victory on Senior Day highlighted by Jennings breaking out of her slump with a sixth inning home run.

The Sooners smothered Kansas and BYU in the Big 12 Tournament before beating Texas.

OU even played a pair of tight games against Oregon that Gasso is confident will have the team prepared for the rematch of last year’s Women’s College World Series Championship Series against Florida State.

“Run rules are boring,” Gasso said. “I don’t know that they’re good for anyone, especially us… What’s good for us is what we did with Oregon on Sunday. That’s good for us.”

The pressure cooker of the postseason has been a place where this senior class has forged lifelong memories, collecting trophy after trophy.

Now the Sooners set their sights on a familiar foe, and the chance to return to the WCWS to compete for a fourth-straight title has Oklahoma playing with fire again.

“They live for postseason,” Gasso said. “And that’s what the most fun is and it means something and you’re chasing something now.

“… You’re looking for that trophy like everybody else. So right now we’re in the chase like everyone else.”

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