2025 OL Jacob Maiava commits to SMU

2025 Rancho Santa Margarita Catholic (Calif.) OL Jacob Maiava committed to SMU, he announced on Wednesday. For Maiava, he felt it on the visit and opted to pull the trigger on his visit.

“They were stoked about it. I told coach Lashlee in our meeting. It was kind of a surprise to my mom. I just kind of wanted to surprise her,” Maiava told On3. “Me and my dad talked it over. I prayed to God, and just told him, this is it. I told Coach Justice Saturday at dinner, and he was fired up.”

SMU senior director of player development Scott Nady finished the job for the coaching staff with his speech on the visit.

“When we was having our meeting about like the schoolwise outside of football with coach Nady,” he said. “His speech about life after ball kind of sold it already. Coming in to my official visit, it was like a 50-50 chance I was going to commit on the spot. Coach Nady’s speech about life after ball, it’s just it’s just crazy the amount of percentages about certain things and that just sold it pretty much to me. I knew it from that moment on that this will be my home.”

He’s fresh off an official visit last weekend and the Mustangs impressed in a big way.

“The first day we got there was just we went straight to the campus to take the photoshoot with the jerseys and stuff like that,” Maiava said. “The second day was the tour and basically time with the coaches and some of the players. Just overall, it was a great time over there. Everybody’s connection together (stood out). Everybody knows each other well and how all of them believe in the same goal.”

SMU offensive line coach Garin Justice shared his plans for him along the offensive line and how the Mustangs have developed their players.

“Coach Justice believes because I’m an undersized lineman I can do great things where I’m at,” Maiava said. “That’s pretty big for me. I go to other colleges and they don’t really look for guys like me. They just look for size and stuff like that, which Coach Justice is like, he believes in people that can put in the work, no matter the size, he just believes in the dog in me. That’s what really stood out to me.

“Coach Justice showed us some stats how people have improved coming in SMU and getting coached by coach Justice. When we seen those stats, it was mind-blowing. He was just showing evidence that his coaching really works and stuff like that. They have a lot of things planned and stuff like that.”

SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee stood out in how direct he was in their meeting overall.

“He was just a straightforward guy. He told me no lies,” Maiava said. “He told me straight up and told me the truth. I used to play tackle my junior year and for sophomore year. He told me straight up that I’m not going to be playing tackle. I’m going to stay at center and guard. I came to the sense that that’s where I’m going to be playing. A very kind, honest coach and a great head coach.”

Justice wants Maiava to start something with Polynesian players pledging to play for SMU.

“The new facility, that’s nice overall, and it’s going to get done in 90 days. The culture around that team,” Maiava said of what else stood out. “Coach Justice was like, there’s no Polys there. He was like, I could start something great and bring in my culture. That’s a big part of me too, is the culture. Coach Justice saying that to me is like, I can start something big here. They believe in that and that goal so that really sold it to me too.”

The Mustangs are getting a physical interior lineman who has the mindset necessary to make an impact.

“I feel like I have talent to be the first five,” Maiava said. “I have the dog mindset of where, like if a different jersey is lined up across with me, my mindset is to like kill them, and to put them in the dirt and just kill them. It’s just that mindset that I have, and my footwork, and like everything else is good. I think that’s what I can bring to the table, and to add on to SMU’s program.”

UNLV and NC State offered to kick off his year while Portland State just jumped into the mix. Maiava is the first offensive line pledge for Justice in the class of 2025.