Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Kai Maiava UCLA Football

  Kai Maiava
Kai Maiava
Player Profile
Class:
RS Senior
Hometown:
Wailuku, HI
High School:
Baldwin
Last College:
Colorado
Height / Weight:
6-1 / 298
Position:
C
Birthdate:
06/03/1989
Experience:
3V

UCLA - Kai enters Fall camp in competition for the starting job at center after doing an outstanding job as the starter a year ago ... One of the top centers in the West based upon his play a year ago, he is on the Rimington Trophy pre-season Watch List ... A tough, hard-nosed competitor who started at guard as a true freshman at Colorado in 2007.
2009 - Started the first 12 games of the season ... Played virtually every offensive scrimmage play, racking up at least 65 snaps in nine of his 12 games and 58 in the other three ... Was not eligible to play in the EagleBank Bowl win over Temple.
2008 - Redshirted after transferring from Colorado where he was a starter in nine games at left guard in 2007 ... Two seasons of eligibility remaining.
COLORADO - Saw his first action in fourth game of the 2007 season (40 snaps versus Miami-Ohio) and then started the entire conference season and the Independence Bowl (nine games) at left guard ... Made first career start in game five against Oklahoma ... Just the eighth true freshman to start a game on the offensive line at CU since freshmen were allowed to play again in 1972 ... First-team Freshman All-America honors from scout.com, while The Sporting News and CollegeFootballNews.com selected him honorable mention ... TSN also selected him to its Freshman All-Big 12 team, while Phil Steele selected him honorable mention All-Big 12 ... Played 575 snaps, recording 74 knockdown blocks (second on team) with a game-high of 12 against Oklahoma ... His best game grade was 92% against Iowa State, as he earned two game grades over 90 percent and four over 80 ... Tied for the team lead in touchdown blocks with five, while being called for three penalties and allowing eight pressures and two sacks ... Recipient of the Lee Willard Award, selected by the coaching staff and presented to most outstanding freshman.
HIGH SCHOOL - Ranked as No. 31 center in the nation by rivals.com ... First-team All-State and All-Maui Interscholastic League as a senior ... Played mostly offensive guard, moving over to center when the game was in hand to get others in the game ... He coordinated the O-line play calls ... Team captain ... Averaged 10-12 pancake blocks a game as a senior, when he had eight direct touchdown blocks, was not responsible for a sack, and was called for four penalties ... Three-year starter on offense ... Played at tackle as a sophomore, before moving to guard as a junior; he had 8-10 pancake blocks per game that season when he earned honorable mention All-State and first-team All-MIL ... Did not allow a single quarterback sack during his high school career, and in spot play at defensive tackle as a senior (4-5 plays per game), he had 12 tackles, two for losses, with four hurries, a forced fumble, a pass broken up and a blocked field goal ... His top games came against Kamehameha, where he went to school from the second through ninth grades; as a junior, he had 23 pancake blocks against them, and as a senior, another 18 with a touchdown block in two one-sided Baldwin wins ... Under coach Jimmy Morimoto, Baldwin was 10-1-1 his senior year, the MIL champions, but lost in the state semifinals on a `Hail Mary' pass as time expired to Kahuku, 22-20 ... BHS was 11-1 his junior season, MIL champs again reaching the state semis ... Team was 10-1-1 his sophomore season ... Played one year of junior varsity basketball (sophomore), lining up at center; his best game was a 35-point, 10-rebound effort against Lahaina.
PERSONAL - Born: June 3, 1989 in Wailuku, Hawaii ... Hobbies include surfing, cliff diving, hiking, music and relaxing at the beach ... Father (Scott Mahoney) was an offensive lineman at Colorado and had a brief stint with the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs ... His grandfather ("Prince" Neff Maiava) was a famous world renowned wrestler in the 1950s and 1960s, and the six-time Hawaii heavyweight champion (his signature finishing move was the head butt, and he used to use his hair to cut his opponents hands) ... An Uncle is "The Rock," Dwayne Johnson (actor/former WWF wrestler/Miami football player) ... An older brother, Kaluka, played linebacker at USC ... There is royal Samoan lineage in the family ... Full first name is Kealaka'i (pronounced kay-ala-ka-E; his last name is pronounced my-ah-vuh) ... Also an accomplished rugby player, as he earned All-Star honors his sophomore and junior years, and was the Hawaii heavyweight boxing champion as a junior. ... History major.

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