Tualatin football stars Nolan Keeney, Zhaiel Smith sign with college programs

Keeney is headed to BYU; Smith will play for New Mexico

Nolan Keeney (left) and Zhaiel Smith will play college football for BYU and New Mexico, respectively. / Photo by Dan Brood

Nolan Keeney and Zhaiel Smith.

This past fall, the two seniors were quite the passing combination for the Tualatin football team. Keeney was the athletic, strong-armed quarterback, and Smith the fleet-footed, sure-handed receiver.

The conclusion of the 2024 season saw the end of that potent combination, but Wednesday morning, Keeney and Smith shared the stage once again, as they put their future gridiron plans in motion. Keeney and Smith were part of a National Letter of Intent signing ceremony held in front of friends, family, coaches and teammates at Tualatin High School.

Smith will be playing college football for the University of New Mexico, located in Albuquerque, and Keeney will play at Brigham Young University, located in Provo, Utah.

“This means a lot,” Smith said. “I’ve been working my whole career just to get to this point. I just want to thank my coaches and my family for believing in me.”

The 6-foot, 190-pound Smith had what could be called an interesting journey from Tualatin to New Mexico, as he originally committed to playing college football for the University of Idaho.

“Most of the coaches at Idaho, the head coach (Jason Eck), they left,” Smith said. “Then I decided to decommit because I really liked the coaches and everything they’ve done.”

Eck left the University of Idaho to become the head coach at the University of New Mexico.

“Once I decommitted (from Idaho), that’s when New Mexico came in with an offer, and I knew I wanted to be there,” Smith said. “Overall, it was the coaches and the culture, and the belief they have. I hope to do great things. Coach Eck is a great coach. I think he’s going to do some great things in the future. We’re going to have something to build on.”

Keeney also seemed to treasure the signing ceremony at Tualatin High School.

“It’s great,” he said. “It just means all the hard work I’ve put in has paid off. I’m proud of this moment.”

To listen to the 6-5, 226-pound Keeney, it sounds like Brigham Young was the perfect place for him, right from the start.

“It was all-around a great fit. It was a great feel,” he said. “I love the coaching staff and everything about what they stand for. So, I was hooked right away when I got down there. It was a great feeling. It’s the right spot.”

Visits to the Provo campus confirmed that.

“I visited three times. The first time was a couple weeks after they offered me, which was back in April,” Keeney said. “It was great. The campus is extremely beautiful. They have an amazing facility. There wasn’t anything that wasn’t appealing to me. I loved every piece of it.”

The strong football tradition the Cougars boast also didn’t hurt.

“They had a great season this year, and they’ve had a lot of great legends go there in the past,” Keeney said. “So that’s pretty exciting, and something for me to work for.”

One of those legends Tualatin football fans know pretty well. That would be former Timberwolves standout Luke Staley, who won the Outland Trophy as the nation’s top running back after his 2001 season at BYU.

“People have said to me, ‘Hopefully, we’ll get another Tualatin great.’ All I can do is try and hope that happens, and to work as hard as I can for it,” Keeney said.

Hard work — Smith and Keeney both said that’s a necessity for them to be ready for college football.

“I’m definitely going to spend a lot of time in the weight room,” said Keeney, who is a starter for the Tualatin boys basketball team, which moved to 15-4 with a 76-70 win over West Linn in a key Three Rivers League contest Tuesday. “And I’m going to mentally prepare myself for the bigger moments — bigger everything. I’m excited for it.”

“I’m going to work all offseason — lifting, getting faster, all the key things I’m doing now,” Smith said.

Smith was a standout receiver and defensive back for the Timberwolves, earning Class 6A first-team all-state honors at both positions. He said the Lobos are looking for him to play receiver — and he wants to play as soon as he can.

“I want to go there and play right away,” Smith said. “If I don’t play right away, I’m going to keep working hard and try to get on the field as soon as possible.”

He also wants to return kicks — another duty he excelled in for the Timberwolves.

“Hopefully, that’s the plan,” Smith said.

Keeney shined as a dual-threat quarterback for Tualatin. That’s a role he could have at Brigham Young — but that’s not for certain.

“They just like my athleticism a lot,” Keeney said. “They told me, ‘If you’re not starting at quarterback, you might play any other position you wanted.’ I like that.”

Nolan Keeney / Photo by Dan Brood

While Keeney and Smith are looking forward to their college football futures, they both also fondly look back at their high school careers at Tualatin.

Keeney spent his final two years of high school playing for the Timberwolves after transferring from Westview.

“It was great — honestly, the best change I’ve ever had in my life,” Keeney said. “I appreciate all of my coaches and all of the support we had. It leaked over into a lot of success. I’m just really proud of my two years here. I couldn’t be more proud of the mark that I left.”

In the 2024 season, Keeney had 3,000 yards passing and running, and 30 touchdowns. He was a first-team all-Three Rivers League pick and second-team all-Class 6A selection at quarterback.

Smith transferred to Tualatin for his senior year after helping Central Catholic claim state titles as a sophomore and junior.

“It’s been great,” Smith said. “The coaches and everyone were super welcoming. I really liked my coaches, my teammates, the staff, the principal — everyone was great.”

Zhaiel Smith / Photo by Dan Brood

Smith, as a senior, had 938 all-purpose yards, with 600 receiving yards, a 21.8 yards-per-catch average and 10 touchdowns. He did all of that despite missing two games because of an ankle injury as well as having 400-plus yards wiped away by penalties, as estimated by Tualatin coach Dominic Ferraro.

Smith also had an immediate impact for the Timberwolves — the very first time he touched the ball wearing a Tualatin jersey, he returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown in a 54-19 win over Jesuit to start the 2024 season.

“That was a great start,” Smith said with a smile. “I felt the energy from the crowd, I felt the energy from my teammates. That just set the tone.”

Smith had four catches for 143 yards and three touchdowns in that contest. Keeney completed 9 of 14 passes for 233 yards and five touchdowns. No, it didn’t take long for that Keeney-to-Smith connection to take shape.

That also made Wednesday’s signing ceremony a little extra special for the dynamic duo.

“It’s great. That’s my teammate; that’s my guy,” Keeney said of sharing the moment with Smith. “I love throwing to him. I’m super proud of him and all of his accomplishments, and how all of his hard work has paid off.”

Zhaiel Smith and Nolan Keeney / Photo by Dan Brood

“That means a lot. Nolan is my guy,” Smith said. “I’ve known him since freshman year, playing 7-on-7, playing catch ever since. We both had a great journey to lead us here.”

They are looking for big things from each other in the future.

“Oh, I think he’s going to do great,” Smith said of Keeney. “He’s a great kid, a smart kid, and he’s a great athlete.”

“I think he’s going to do great,” Keeney said of Smith. “I know at New Mexico, they’ve got new coaches, and they’re going to use him to his full abilities. I’m excited to see what’s going to happen with him.”

Also taking part in the signing ceremony at Tualatin were seniors Rose Frezza, who signed to play lacrosse at Whitworth University in Spokane, Wash.; Molly Labhart, who signed to play lacrosse at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash.; and Paley Sullivan, who signed to play softball at Ramapo College in Mahwah, N.J.

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