Maiava, a 6-foot-1, 295-pound freshman offensive lineman, became somewhat of a gift for the Buffaloes when Boise State told him not to bother with his scheduled visit when the then-Baldwin High School senior was still making up his mind last fall.

The Buffaloes had a need and Maiava had the ability as national letter of intent signing day approached last February.

''Boise State, they hadn't made an offer to me, but I was supposed to take my recruiting trip when they told me they gave the scholarship to somebody else,'' Maiava said to The Maui News. ''I see that as a disappointment because they were one of the first schools to talk to me. I talked to them for quite a while, but everything happens for a reason. That was a tough week for me, but I just tried to move on. Things have worked out for the best.''

Maiava showed just how valuable he is when he started at left guard in the Buffaloes' homecoming game against Oklahoma on Sept. 29. The Buffaloes pulled out a 27-24 overtime victory in that game and Maiava has been the starter at left guard ever since — a string of eight straight starts for 6-6 Colorado, which will meet Alabama (6-6) in the PetroSun Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La., on Dec. 31.

Actually, Maiava showed just how good he could be when he was on the field for 40 plays the week before against Miami (Ohio) in 42-0 Colorado win. That was one of four games in which he earned a game grade of 80 percent or better from the Buffs' coaching staff.

He finished the season with 74 knockdown blocks, second-best on the team, and five direct touchdown blocks (tied for first on the team). His 575 offensive plays were the fourth-highest total on the team among offensive linemen. His touchdown blocks matched a player who had 883 snaps and Maiava's knockdowns were second to the same player.

To top it off, Maiava was named a first-team Freshman All-American by scout.com in November. He got the news from his father, Scott Mahoney, a former Buffaloes' offensive lineman from 1969-71 who later played for the Kansas City Chiefs.

''The All-American thing, I heard about that — I didn't want to think about it until it happened — when my dad called me and he was crying,'' Maiava said. ''He said, 'you made it, you made it.' For me, it was one of the biggest things I ever got in football and I came from the small island of Maui, proving to everybody that we are capable of doing whatever anybody else is. It was just a happy day for me.''

It was a happy day for head coach Dan Hawkins when the Buffaloes came in late to grab the services of Maiava off a Baldwin team that had been to two straight Division I state semifinals.

''I think we knew coming in that he was a good player even though he is a bit undersized,'' Hawkins said. ''He is a good player, a tough, hard-working guy and all that stuff has really surfaced.''

Hawkins said that the opportunity to play as a true freshman was there with Colorado, which improved from a 2-10 season in Hawkins' first year there in 2006 after winning four Western Athletic Conference titles at Boise State.

''We didn't have a ton of depth and experience there, so we knew we had some of these guys in the freshman class who would be able to play,'' Hawkins said.

Hawkins said Maiava, the younger brother of Southern California junior linebacker Kaluka Maiava, has been at the front of the list of young Buffaloes.

''We played 20 redshirt or true freshmen this year,'' Hawkins said. ''On offense we had a lot of freshmen play significant minutes. Kai has been a very good player for us, he really has. He has everything we want in a young man – he is really smart, hard-working and tough. He is a level-headed guy and that allows him to play at the highest level.''

Maiava, who didn't allow a quarterback sack in three seasons as a starter at Baldwin, said that the Buffaloes are moving up in the Big 12 Conference, as his first start against eventual league-champion Oklahoma attests.

The disappointment of the Boise State snub now seems like ancient history.

''Well, my dad set me up with an attitude that once you get knocked down, get right back up, so when I came in he told me 'think you are going to start, don't sell yourself short, don't think about redshirting,' '' Kai Maiava said. ''I'm proud of myself, (eight) starts is a dream come true. Having a season like we did, it has just been a great time playing all the tough teams that we did.

''I was hoping we could do a little bit better, but we were 2-10 last year so 6-6 is a big accomplishment for this team. We played the toughest schedule in the nation, so I'm proud of our team and we just got to keep moving forward.''

That schedule will now include the University of Hawai'i for Maiava. UH will travel to Boulder Sept. 18, 2010 — in what would be Maiava's senior season — as part of a four-game home-and-home series between 2010 and 2015.

Jordon Dizon, a former Waimea High School standout who was the nation's leading tackler and a runner-up for the Butkus Award this season, has been a big part of easing the transition to Boulder for Maiava.

''He is a role model-type of guy, a good guy and a good friend,'' Maiava said. ''He has helped me adapt to the culture shock and he is really a guy I look up to. He never quits. I just want to be like him, help set an example for future freshmen and live off his example. He is the hardest-working guy I have ever met. You can't keep a lot of guys out of games, but with Jordon you can't keep him out of practice. He is unreal.''

Hawkins said that the likes of Dizon, from Kaua'i, and Maiava will keep him coming back to recruit players from Hawai'i.

''I really started recruiting Hawai'i when I was at (NCAA Division III) Willamette (in Salem, Ore.), when Cal Lee and those guys were there,'' Hawkins said. ''I have recruited over there for a long time and with (associate head coach) Brian Cabral, we have a very strong Polynesian connection and Polynesian community here. We have really tried to facilitate that relationship because those kids bring a lot to a football program, a strong sense of family. They are just awesome to have on your team.''

Kai Maiava said that seeing his brother, Jojo Dickson and Justin Luna — all former Bears — playing Division I football shows just how good Maui football is. Adding a standout like Dizon, the Big 12 defensive player of the year, to the mix shows what is possible.

''All that helped me a lot — knowing that Jordon is from the little island of Kauai and he grew up like I grew up — gave me a huge confidence boost,'' Maiava said.

''A lot of people doubted me because of my size, but I'm just trying to represent the people who did believe in me — my family, my friends and fans. Whenever people doubt me, that is all right. Even though we come from a small, little island we still have the ability and talent to compete with everybody.''