Salt Lake City (Utah) Granger defensive lineman Maa’imoa Havili just announced his commitment to BYU.
We talked to Havili just a few days ago and he acknowledged BYU was the dream school for him but he wanted to take a few official visits first. That will no longer be case the case as Havili locked in his commitment earlier today.
“Since I was a kid, BYU was where I wanted to play,” Havili said. “This was the dream for me for a long time so to have this opportunity, I couldn’t pass it up.
“I’m so thankful to the coaching staff and especially coach (Kalani) Sitake and coach Sione Pouh who offered me a scholarship. They’re allowing me this opportunity to play football at BYU and I’m so excited right now.”
Havili said the ultimate goal for him to play in the NFL and he’s confident BYU can get him there.
“I really believe they can,” Havili said. “I think you can make the NFL anywhere you go and BYU has shown that they can produce NFL players. I know I had some big offers from big name schools but i told my parents, I don’t need a big name school, I can accomplish everything I want right here at BYU.
Havili is one of the feel good stories of the off-season. He wasn’t on too many recruiting radars following his junior season but absolutely blew up after a pair of dominant College Showcase workouts.
Soon scholarship offers from schools like Alabama, Michigan, Fresno State, North Carolina, Cal, Boise State, Hawaii, San Jose State, Arizona and San Diego State poured. Oregon came in for a home visit over the weekend and offered and Havili set up an official visit to Michigan after a home visit with the Wolverines.
His game popped as well and Havili put up huge numbers as a junior, totaling 102 tackles, 46 for loss and 13 sacks. He put on close to 40 pounds over the last year while adding quickness and burst.
He plays inside and out and can win with speed and power. Havili said he plans to go on his Mormon Mission right out of high school so he’ll enroll at BYU as part of the class of 2029.