Maty Mauk was barely a third grader when the college recruiters started calling his older brother. He wasn't even in high school when he received his first scholarship offer from Brian Kelly at Cincinnati.
In a way, he always knew Wednesday morning was coming.
Mauk worked for it, too, and when he sent his national letter of intent to Missouri Wednesday he did so as the national high-school record holder in passing yards, attempts, completions and touchdowns. Three of those records previously belonged to his brother Ben, who signed with Wake Forest on this day nine years ago and completed his career playing for Kelly at Cincinnati.
Maty Mauk played for his father, Mike, at Kenton High School in Western Ohio. Ben Mauk was his quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator the last two years.
"Being on the sidelines all those years, watching Ben from the sidelines and just being around the game, this is something Maty always dreamed of," Mike Mauk said. "He earned it with his work ethic. He has natural talent and a natural love for the game. He always has a ball in his hand, even when the season is months away, and that's what's allowed him to progress and achieve what he's achieved."
Mauk, who's listed at 6'2, 190, can make every throw. That he made 2,110 of them -- 1,352 were completed, an astounding 219 for touchdowns -- in four years as Kenton's quarterback got him on the recruiting radar and kept the likes of Notre Dame and Michigan recruiting him all the way through the process, even after he verbally committed to Missouri last summer.
"No. 1, we really felt the Missouri coaching staff was interested in him as a person first, and also as a player and a prospective student," Mike Mauk said. "He really feels comfortable there. No. 2, on the field they run an offensive scheme and a system that he's immediately going to be at least somewhat comfortable with and one that fits his strengths.
"He's going to be handing the ball off more than he's used to, but their system involves the same concepts and the same types of throws he made the last four years."
Making even one handoff is more than Mauk is used to. Kenton almost always operated out of a five-wide, no-huddle, shotgun spread offense. In short-yardage running situations, the line splits tightened and Mauk slammed straight ahead out of the shotgun. After almost every touchdown, Kenton onside kicked in an effort to get Mauk and the offense back on the field.
It's the family offense -- Mike Mauk has been Kenton's coach for 29 years; two Kenton teams Ben quarterbacked won state titles when Maty was a ball boy -- and it's no surprise that family ties helped Mauk decide on Missouri. The Tigers' spread offense attracted Mauk; so, too, did the fact that he has an older sister who lives in Missouri, and that Missouri's head coach and offensive coordinator/recruiting coordinator are Ohio natives and have been recruiting him throughout his high school career.
Pinkel is an Akron native, a Kent State graduate and was the head coach at Toledo before coming to Missouri in 2001. Kenton is 75 miles south of Toledo. Missouri offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator David Yost, a native of Carrollton, Ohio and a Kent State graduate, has been with Pinkel since 1996, when he was a graduate assistant at Toledo.
Pinkel and a Missouri contingent flew into see Kenton's state title game in early December. Yost stuck around and spent the next day with the Mauks in Kenton.
"Coach Yost did an outstanding job with Maty throughout the process," Mike Mauk said.
That Div. IV state title game was one for the ages, and it was Kenton's only loss last fall. Mauk was named Ohio's Mr. Football after throwing for 5,413 yards and 68 touchdowns and running for 1,768 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Missouri's wide-open spread has been good to the Tigers and to their quarterbacks. Brad Smith, a Youngstown native who's now a wide receiver and kick returner for the Buffalo Bills, is one of three former Missouri quarterbacks now playing in the NFL. Blaine Gabbert was a top 10 pick last year by the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Chase Daniel is the backup to Drew Brees in New Orleans.
Maty Mauk made an official visit to Missouri two weekends ago, the same weekend the nation's No. 1 overall recruit according to Scout.com -- and just about every recruiting service on the planet -- wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham of Springfield, Mo. made his visit. The two stayed in contact, and Green-Beckham also signed with Missouri on Wednesday.
"The Mizzou stock market went up today," Pinkel said.
Maybe -- again -- a kid from Ohio at quarterback will help push that stock even higher.
