Oregon Legacy Akili Smith Jr. Discusses Ducks Offer
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It's never too early to start recruiting your quarterback of the future and the Oregon Ducks recently offered a name fans need to get familiar with if they aren't ready.
During a recruiting trip to Southern California, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Will Stein offered 2025 Murrieta (Calif.) Vista Murrieta quarterback Akili Smith Jr.
He's the son of legendary quarterback Akili Smith Sr., who was drafted third overall in the 1999 NFL Draft by the Cincinatti Bengals.
I was recently in Santa Ana for the Showdown Series 7-on-7 tournament and was able to catch up with Smith Jr. to talk about the offer and the latest in his recruitment.
Smith towers over most at 6'6" and 205 pounds. The first play I saw from him was a beautiful deep pass down the sideline that was turned into a touchdown. He already has seven reported offers including Michigan, Miami, Arizona and Fresno State.
READ MORE: Top recruiting storylines from National Signing Day
Last week he finally landed an offer from the school he's been around more than any other.
"Super excited cause obviously my dad went there," he said of getting offered by Stein and the Ducks. "He's always shown me Oregon and all that. Had me watch the games and stuff. Always fun to see them win, do the fight song."
With all the time he's been able to spend in Eugene, a couple things stand out about Dan Lanning's program.
"The coaching. I like the head coach right now," Smith said. "He's super cool. I like how he runs the program. Stein, he's super cool too he knows what he's talking about. (I) Hope to learn from him maybe, learn a little bit about him."
His recruitment is sure to continue picking up after a strong sophomore season, passing for nearly 2,500 yards and 29 touchdowns against just four interceptions (per MaxPreps). He's starting to get a feel for what he wants at the college level.
"Great coaches that know what they're talking about and know how to read defenses and stuff--break it down. Also just leadership with the coaches leading us."
Smith was very humble when asked about his mindset going into the recruiting process as things start to pick up.
"Super excited, but I still have a lot of work that I have to put in during the offseason to get ready for college, like different speeds, and stuff like that. I'm really excited and hope to compete with a lot of good players."
He hasn't been too busy on the recruiting trail but was able to see Oregon, UCLA, Arizona and Arizona State during the football season.
Moving forward he has some schools he'd like to visit once the dead period ends.
"Definitely Georgia. UCLA again, and I'm trying to meet the Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford."
Smith added that he'd like to describe himself as a dual-threat quarterback, but the stats currently suggest he's more of a pocket passer after scoring 29 touchdowns through the air. With that being the case, he hopes to showcase more of his speed in 2023.
The Southern California passer exudes confidence and has big goals for the remainder of his high school career.
"(I'm) Super confident about my abilities and hope to be the No. 1 quarterback in the nation."
READ MORE: Rodrick Pleasant breaks down Oregon commitment
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