Physically, it's almost impossible to poke holes in Akili Smith Jr.'s frame. He has extremely favorable height (6-foot-5) and weight (231 pounds) for the quarterback position to go along with a rocket for an arm. Quarterbacks coach Koa Ka'ai said on Tuesday that Smith is right up there with arm talent in the position room, which features two potential first-round picks in Dante Moore and Dylan Raiola . He's also fast, displaying a dual-threat nature to his skillset in last year's spring game.
Football runs in his bloodlines too, as his father, Akili Smith, started two seasons with the Oregon Ducks before being selected third overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1999.
He has all the physical attributes and family history that a coaching staff would want in a quarterback, a huge reason that the Ducks recruited and eventually landed the commitment of Smith, a four-star and the 15th-ranked passer in the 2025 class.
But there's one major aspect of Smith's game that needs some brushing up on for Smith, per head coach Dan Lanning.
"I think just the mental game, and there's still, you know, big strides to take there," Lanning told reporters on Tuesday. "You know, he's a big, strong player. I think he's getting more and more comfortable in the pocket, but there's a lot that we ask our quarterbacks to do, a lot more than what he was asked to do at times and in his offense. So it's a lot to absorb, and it's not easy just to pick up, but he's definitely grown mentally, probably the most."
It's rare for a college quarterback to immediately have the mental side of the game down pat. Just ask both Moore and Raiola, who each started as true freshman.
Moore completed just 53.5% of his passes and was benched at UCLA, while Raiola threw just 13 touchdowns versus 11 interceptions at Nebraska. Both needed a reset, Moore behind sixth-year senior Dillon Gabriel and Raiola behind Moore.
Though Smith doesn't have the opportunity to be thrown in the fire and learn on the job due to the talented nature of the Ducks' quarterback room, he's still learning and growing behind the scenes. Ka'ai put his growth from high school to college into perspective, lauding his desire to continue getting better.
"When people come from high school, what are you usually running?" Ka'ai said. "Some type of spread system, right? Sometimes pretty simplistic, and we're a little bit more NFL-esque here, which is beneficial from our guys, but that acclimation is kind of tough when you transition from high school to college, like not just fighting against better players. Now the system's a little different, so I think he's acclimated well. We've definitely seen improvements this spring. I look forward to seeing what the rest of spring looks like for him."
Though it's going to be hard to get the nod as the starter both in 2026 and potentially in 2027 and 2028, as Raiola is waiting in the wings as the Ducks' next presumed starter, that's not what Smith is currently focused on. Continuing to add to his skillset by improving the mental side of his game is what's key — something key Oregon staff members are certainly seeing.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Akili Smith Jr. showing improvement with the mental side of the game
