Tiano Malietufa did not play football for any middle school program in the Auburn School District – or anywhere else, for that matter.

And it did not matter.

Bryant Thomas said he became aware of Malietufa shortly after he became the Ravens’ coach in 2013.

“That was the guy everyone was talking about,” Thomas said. “He was a youth legend back then. We knew he was coming.”

Malietufa played for Auburn Youth Football, which is coached by his father, June. But before he enrolled at Auburn Riverside, he had never played quarterback.

“We knew he had the ability to play quarterback,” Thomas said. “People talked about how he had a strong arm and ran like a tailback. We knew there was a talented guy coming in here to take over the reins at quarterback.”

But experience often is an important component for successful signal-callers. In an ideal situation, Thomas said, Malietufa would have served as a backup while learning the nuances of the position under offensive coordinator Marcus Yzaguirre. Instead, he was thrust into the starting lineup as a freshman. After Thomas guided the Ravens to a program-best seven wins in 2013, the team finished 1-9 in each of the next two seasons.

Despite that, Malietufa’s confidence never wavered.

“We have seen it coming,” Malietufa said.

It arrived this fall. Behind a cast of experienced returners, Auburn Riverside finished with the best record (6-4) among the district’s three high schools. Through nine games, Malietufa, a junior, completed 43 of 106 passes for 764 yards, six touchdowns and one interception.

“If we did a better job catching the ball, his stats would be even higher,” said Thomas, adding that he believes Malietufa can pass and rush for more than 1,000 yards next year.

Yzaguirre said Malietufa can develop further.

“Next year we’re looking to be able to throw that ball a lot more,” he said. “He’s been progressing every year and making the right throws.”

While the 5-foot-11, 210-pound Malietufa enjoys that challenge, he prefers playing defense, where he can mimic the style of his favorite player, Arizona Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu.

“He’s a ball hawk,” Malietufa said. “He’s just aggressive everywhere on the field.”

After his freshman season, Malietufa moved from middle to outside linebacker.

“We like freeing him up so he can run downhill and be a major disruption at the line of scrimmage,” Thomas said. “He gives us the ability on the defensive side of the ball to not have to go nickel personnel. He can cover. That’s a very valuable asset to have in your program.”

Malietufa has become a playmaker for the Ravens’ defense, where he had four tackles-for-loss and three forced fumbles. Thomas has a theory behind that development.

“Because he plays quarterback, that helps him out on the defensive side of the ball,” he said. “He knows what people are trying to do.”

Malietufa even tries to analyze plays when he is competing against his younger brother, Tyrus, playing the Madden NFL video game.

“Some of the things on Madden we’re running on our defense,” Malietufa said.

EA Sports, which produces Madden, also used to make another video game focused on college football. Malietufa still has another season of high school football remaining, but Thomas expects Malietufa to compete at that level, eventually.

“More people are looking at him as being a linebacker or strong safety,” he said. “If he can raise his skill level in terms of throwing the ball – and getting rid of it quicker – he could play quarterback at a lower level. But I really feel like if he wants to go to the highest level he can play at, it’s going to be on defense.”