Utah DL Maa'imoa Havili explodes onto national recruiting scene after dominant showcases

After a couple of dominant showings at a pair of college showcases last week, Salt Lake City (Utah) Granger defensive lineman Maa’imoa Havili is suddenly among the hottest prospects out West. 

It was a heck of week for Havili as the talented lineman established himself as a true national recruit. The talented athlete entered May with scholarship offers from Utah State, Idaho and a pair of Div 2 programs.

Following showcases at Mountain Ridge and Timpview high school, you can now add Alabama, Michigan, Fresno State, North Carolina, Cal, Boise State, Hawaii, San Jose State, Arizona and San Diego State to the list.

“It’s crazy how fast it all happened for me,” Havili said. “I still can’t believe it but I prayed to God for this to happen and it’s really happening for me so I’m very grateful. 

“I had the two showcases and there were a lot of college coaches there. After the camp, I talked to all the coaches and they offered me right there in person. The next step will be setting up some visits but I still need to talk about that with my parents and my coaches.”

Havili camp highlights were very impressive on both sides of the ball. Playing offensive tackle, he stoned some of the state’s top edge rushers and then working out on the defensive line, he won with a combination of moves but mostly raw power, heavy hands and sound technique. 

He took most of his defensive line reps as an edge but frame wise, he’s built more like a traditional tackle and that’s where we think he ends up in college. The game tape pops as well and Havili put up huge numbers as a junior, totaling 102 tackles, 46 for loss and 13 sacks. 

Fresno State assistant Manaia_Brown was in-home for a visit Sunday and Utah State is expected to visit soon as well. Over the next couple of weeks, Havili will begin to set up a few official visits and his recruitment should be a fun one to watch moving forward.