Mayden steps out of shadow

There is more than one athlete in the Mayden family. Older brother Jared Mayden is dominating the headlines right now across the state of Texas after picking up offers from nearly every top program in the country, but 2018 quarterback Jalen Mayden's day is coming and it began on Team USA this winter, leading his team to their only two touchdowns as the youngest quarterback on the roster.

"It was a great experience," he said of playing in the game against Team Canada. "I learned a lot. It helped me to get a quicker release and work on throwing a tight spiral in windy conditions. It was a lot of fun."

Jalen played for his freshman team at Sachse High School, but expects to compete for the starting varsity spot this spring.

"I'm going to approach it like I'm going to win the job. That is the only way to win the spot," he said. "I know it'll take work and I've been working hard nearly every day to get better in all aspects of my game."

The young quarterback already stands at 6-foot-2 and 193 pounds, and reports a 40-yard time of 4.5 seconds. He lists making plays with his feet, throwing the ball downfield and running the read-option as some of his current strengths, but knows he needs to become well-rounded to take the next step in his evolution at the position. To help take that next step, he'll participate in the Quarterback Challenge and the Rivals Camp in Dallas as part of the Rivals Camp Series Presented by Under Armour in March.

"Participating in camps like that will help me get exposure," he said. "It'll also let me know where I stand next to the best quarterbacks in the area. I'll get to see what they do better than me and learn from that experience. I'm very excited to get the opportunity to be around the top quarterbacks and see how my skills matchup compared to them. It'll be a learning opportunity, but I just want to do my best and perform as well as I can that day."

There is no escaping his brother Jared's shadow right now, however, and Jalen is just fine with that. The fact that his four-star cornerback brother is getting offers and attending junior days means that Jalen gets to go along for the ride.

"Getting to go to all of these places will really help me when it is my time to start choosing a school. I'll already know what campuses and coaching staffs I like by the time it is my turn. That is something a lot of people don't get to do at this age, so I see that as a blessing," he said. "It is very exciting to have coaches come by the school and want to talk to me even though I haven't even played a varsity snap yet."

The bond between brothers is always strong, and that holds true for the Mayden's.

"It'll influence me a lot," Jalen said of where his brother eventually ends up. "It would obviously be great to play with my brother at the next level. It'd be a dream come true for us and my family."