 In February 2005, the Council of the County of Maui honored him with a resolution congratulating him for all of his high school football achievements.Maiava attended USC and played for the USC Trojan football team (2005-2008 seasons) under head coach Pete Carroll and Linebacker Coach Ken Norton Jr.The 2008 linebacker corps at USC, featuring Brian Cushing, Maiava, Clay Matthews III, and Rey Maualuga, was ranked as one of the most talented linebacker corps in college football history.