More than football
It might seem like a paradox.
Maty Mauk, he of the video-game stats in Kenton, Ohio, announced his commitment to Missouri on Thursday. In the end, his decision had little to do with football.
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"Coach (Gary) Pinkel is all about family," Mauk said. "You can tell how important that is at Missouri. It's a community there, and you know he's going to be there for your whole career. He means it."
To Mauk, football was almost an afterthought.
"Oh, yeah, their offense is pretty much the same as our high school," he added.
This week, Mauk's impending decision might have been the worst-kept secret in America. While his Facebook countdown ended Thursday morning, his recruitment ended Wednesday night. That's when he called Pinkel and offensive coordinator David Yost. Before he visited on Thursday, Mauk was already a Tiger.
"They were really excited," Mauk said. "Me and my family were excited, too."
In the end, Mauk's decision came down to four schools. Missouri was joined by Cincinnati, Michigan and Notre Dame. Mauk's older brother, Ben, played for a year for the Bearcats under Brian Kelly. Now, Kelly is the head man for the Fighting Irish.
"Me and Ben are different people," Mauk said. "I wanted to start my own path."
Already, Maty Mauk is looking to the future. He admitted there will be a steep learning curve to the college game, but he feels he has a strong foundation in learning Missouri's offense.
"They're a spread, we're a spread," Mauk said about his current and future team. "They use running backs, but we don't really do that. I think it'll be more about picking up the speed of the game for me."
His foresight doesn't stop there, however. Mauk gushed over Missouri's current commitments, and said he's excited about playing with four-star running back Jonathan Williams. He also wants to take on the role of a recruiter, and he's aiming high for his first target.
On Wednesday, while in Springfield, Mauk met with Dorial Green-Beckham.
"I already knew I was going to commit and he's the No. 1-player in the nation," Mauk said. "We need to get him. I was telling him how Missouri's offense is a quarterback and receiver's dream. I told him we need to get him there."
Mauk said the visit went well, and the two players exchanged number.
"We'll keep in touch," Mauk said.
Mauk is Missouri's 12th known commitment for the 2012 class. Rivals.com ranks him as the nation's No. 19 quarterback and a 5.7 three-star recruit.
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