When Southern Miss takes the field against Mississippi State on Saturday, the Golden Eagles will lean on a right guard who grew up a world away.
Aloali’i Maui (pronounced Uh-low-uh-lee-ee Maw-uh-ee) was born in Pago Pago, American Samoa, nearly 6,500 miles from Hattiesburg and closer to New Zealand than to the mainland United States.
For Southern Miss fans, American Samoa may just be a place mentioned every four years at political conventions. For Maui, it’s home, and the unlikely beginning of a journey that carried him to Division I football.
Growing up in Pago Pago, Maui was surrounded by the rhythms of island life: the ocean breeze, the close-knit Samoan community and hardships that taught him toughness long before he ever put on pads.
“In American Samoa we don’t have that many resources, so a lot of kids tend to move out during their high school years to the states so they can get better opportunities,” Maui said.
Maui, the son of Jason and Tiana Maui, had eight siblings. He decided to stay with his family throughout high school before moving to the states when he was 22.
From an early age, football was a passion. He grew up playing but was often passed over by scouts for his size.
“I always wanted to play football all my life,” Maui said. “The idea of getting to move a man against his will is so fun. That’s why I love playing offensive line.”
Football became more than a pastime.
It was part of the culture, a way to represent his people with pride.
At Tafuna High School, he anchored a program that went undefeated in back-to-back championship seasons, a launching point for a career that would eventually take him to the mainland.
Still, he was overlooked by many schools and ultimately decided to go the junior college route.
“During my recruitment I was overlooked by many schools,” Maui said. “They said I was too short, I was too small. That just put a chip on my shoulder.
“It’s not about the size, it’s about the heart of the dog, man.”
Maui decided to go the JUCO route and boarded a plane and left everything he knew in the summer of 2022, traveling 5,489 miles to the New Mexico Military Institute.
If Pago Pago taught Maui toughness, Roswell, New Mexico, taught him discipline. At NMMI, a junior college that has produced dozens of Division I players, Maui lined up against future FBS talent while adapting to a lifestyle far from the ocean breezes of American Samoa.
He helped the Colts to a 9-3 record and a 28-26 win against Lackawanna College in the HF Sinclair Wool Bowl.
In 2023, Maui entered the transfer portal, and a phone call came from Blake Anderson, then the head coach at Utah State.
Maui made the trip from Roswell, New Mexico, 875 miles up to Logan, Utah, and enjoyed a productive two years under Anderson, who is now the offensive coordinator at Southern Miss.
“He did a great job for us at Utah State,” Anderson said. “He loves ball and just wants to quietly go out there and do his job at a really high level each and every single day.”
The Aggies threw him into the mix almost immediately, and by the end of the season he had carved out a starting role.
Maui appeared in all 13 games that fall, starting the final nine. He logged a team-high 714 snaps on offense and was credited with 50 knockdowns, numbers that underscored both his endurance and physicality. Against Fresno State, he notched a career-best 10 knockdowns, and he added eight more in a win over Colorado State.
In 2024, Maui became one of Utah State’s most dependable linemen. He started all 12 games at right guard and logged 779 total snaps, the second most on the team. He was credited with 45 knockdowns on the year, including a career-high-tying 10 against UNLV in a game where he played a personal-best 94 snaps.
Maui posted multiple knockdowns in nine contests, with at least five in six of them, reflecting both endurance and consistency. Even more impressive, he graded out at 85 percent in Mountain West play and did not allow a single sack in conference games.
He also earned Academic All–Mountain West honors, proof that his discipline extended beyond the field.
Maui developed a strong relationship with Anderson in Logan, and when Anderson announced his move to Southern Miss, it was only right that not even a month later Maui followed him.
So, in January 2025, Maui moved 1,812 miles south to Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He was now 6,231 miles from home.
“I was super proud to know he chose to come here with me,” Anderson said. “He’s one of my favorite dudes to be around every day, and I think our team respects what he brings to the table.”
It took some time for Maui to adjust to the different climate.
“Moving down here was a very smooth transition but definitely the weather was the hardest part,” Maui said. “In Utah, it was in the mountains, and it was cold in the altitude. Now here it’s super-hot and humid. But I love Hattiesburg, it’s a great city.”
For the Golden Eagles, the timing couldn’t have been better. Charles Huff had just taken over as head coach, and his first priority was rebuilding an offensive line that had struggled with depth and consistency. Maui arrived as the kind of plug-and-play veteran Huff could anchor his front around — a lineman with nearly 1,500 career Division I snaps under his belt.
“He exemplifies our core value number one, which is positive attitude,” Huff said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen the guy upset or without a smile on his face. His attitude, his positivity, has been phenomenal. Probably one of the stronger guys up front that understands the system for his size. He’s got good lateral movement, lateral quickness, so I love the guy.”
When Maui isn’t in the weight room or on the practice field, he’s been learning about life in the South.
That includes the food. Maui says he wishes he could eat king cake every single day.
“I tried some of that king cake,” Maui said. “My friend is from Louisiana and he said king cake is the best food they have in the South. So I was like, I gotta try this, and I tried it and man I could be eating it every day.”
In practice, Maui is serious about what he wants this offensive line to stand for. After a year of turnover and uncertainty, he sees 2025 as a chance to set a new tone up front.
“I want us to be known for dominating the line of scrimmage,” Maui said. “I want to be known for pancaking a lot of people, because I have to have that mentality. I like to put people on the ground and when I put them on the ground I like to think that I put them six feet under.”
From the islands of American Samoa to Hattiesburg, Maui’s path has been defined by toughness, pride and perseverance. Now, in his final season, he hopes to leave behind an offensive line remembered for the same qualities.
