Let it rip: Treven Ma'ae brimming confidence after winding road to Baylor

Treven Maae has the same routine every morning.

The 6-foot-5, 290-pound Baylor defensive end wakes up and spends some time meditating, praying, listening to positive motivation videos and doing some extra recovery all before going to football practice for the day.

I have a schedule and I follow it, that's been the biggest thing, Maae said.

The extra work, the extra attention to detail in the film room, those are all things that I can focus on now, and that's what's put me in a better spot.

Baylor defensive lineman Treven Ma'ae has been on quite the football journey from Hawaii to Las Vegas and now to Waco.

His wife, Tiani, has helped keep him focused almost every step of the way.

It hasnt always been easy, but Maae is feeling better this year than at any point in his football journey, which has taken him from Hawaii to Las Vegas to Oregon and now brought him to Waco.

In the Bears season-opening win, he was part of a dominant defensive front and finished with two tackles and a sack.

His wife, Tiani, has seen his ups and downs and has followed him on his adventure since they met as seniors in high school.

She said that in addition to the morning routine, he looks in the mirror and tells himself that he is the best.

This last year is when he finally got his confidence back, and that was the moment when he truly believed he could make it to the next level, which made me believe, Tiani said.

Ive never seen this type of confidence from him besides high school.

Hes so different now just compared to December of last year.

Baylor head coach Dave Aranda can see the change, too.

Off the field, he's probably grown as a leader as much as anybody on our team, Aranda said.

On the field, his physicality is more.

I think he's more of himself now.

I think last year (he) was trying to fit in, see this and then fit into that.

Now he's just kind of letting it rip.

We'll take that.

Baylor Football: Treven Ma'ae Media Availability (August 10, 2024) // via BaylorAthletics on YouTube Maae has had this weekends game at No.

11 Utah circled on the calendar for some time.

On top of it being another opportunity to show that the Bears have taken a step as a team, hes got some cousins who play for the Utes, most notably sophomore offensive lineman Solatoa Moai and senior offensive lineman Falcon Kaumatule, who also played with him in high school.

This is the biggest game to me, Maae said.

I've played Utah all my career at Oregon.

They run the same thing they've been running and they've been successful at it.

So to me, it's a challenge.

It's an opportunity to rise to that challenge.

Growing in Hawaii The football culture in Hawaii is different from anywhere else in the country.

On one hand, the slow-paced lifestyle gives a laid-back vibe that permeates all of the residents.

On the other hand, football is massive, especially for the Polynesian culture and their warrior ancestry.

Football is one of the closest things to that, Maae said.

I was been blessed to have been born and raised there.

If I didn't play football, I'd probably still be in Hawaii.

I just want more for myself, for my wife.

Its a blessing.

Both Baylor and Utah blasted off in Week 1, playing overmatched teams like Tarleton State and Southern Utah.

With the Utes as the preseason Big 12 favorite coming in, what kind of game are you expecting Saturday? | Subscribe to the One True Podcast at https://shows.acast.com/one-true-podcast Maae was never a couch potato growing up.

The rule was when the street lights came on, that's when he had to be home.

He admits he didnt know what he was doing when he first started playing football as a five-year-old, running around as a tight end without a clue.

Rather, martial arts was more of what he was into as a young athlete.

When he flipped to defense in junior high, things started to become much easier.

He made 20 tackles in the championship game of a summer league when he was an eighth grader and carried that momentum into high school, racking up 11 sacks as a sophomore and junior at Kapolei High School in Oahu.

Maae stood out so much that when Bishop Gorman High School, one of the top private high schools in the country that has produced a plethora of top-level football players, called, he had no choice but to listen.

Focusing in Vegas Mutual friends set Tiani and Treven up on a date early on in their senior year at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas.

There was an instant spark.

When I first met him, I saw that he was a gentle giant, Tiani said.

He was really big and really scary, but hes soft-spoken.

After our first date I was like, Wow, I think Im gonna marry this dude.

Six years later, she turned out to be right.

Meeting a fellow Hawaiian like Tiani at that moment probably saved Maaes football future.

He called Las Vegas the ninth island because of how many Polynesian people moved there from Hawaii.

While some of the familiar cultural customs helped with the transition, Maae was still more than 2,500 miles from home.

When he first got to Bishop Gorman, Maae struggled to balance the rigorous academic workload with the expectations to perform on one of the top high school football teams in the country.

Football was getting better, but as a person, I was going downhill, Maae said.

I wasn't doing things the way they were supposed to be.

I started doing my work so I could go spend time with Tiani, and she would help me with my schoolwork.

Six wins gets you to a bowl, but Baylor is probably only a lock to be favored in four of its 12 games.

There look like three likely losses on the board, with several toss-ups.

Let's predict the Bears' record for 2024.

| Subscribe to the One True Podcast and follow us all season long at https://shows.acast.com/one-true-podcast | Read our complete coverage at bearsextra.com and follow us @wacotribsports on Twitter.

Maae became one of the best players in Nevada in the one season he spent at Bishop Gorman.

He had 44 tackles, 14 tackles for loss at least half a TFL in 11 of 14 games and eight sacks as a season to help the Gaels get to the state championship game.

In the title game, he finished with two sacks, nine tackles and 3.5 TFLs.

At the same time, his grades were slipping.

I was getting it hard from (Bishop Gorman head coach) Kenny Sanchez, Maae said.

Thinking back on it, he had high expectations of me, and I just struggled to meet it at that time.

I did question if I want to play football, but I think it prepared me for the rigors of college.

Tiani, who had an academic-first mindset and was preparing to go down the medical school track, was quick to set some boundaries.

Maae wasnt allowed to text her until he finished his schoolwork, and she made him send her a photo of assignments when they were completed.

When Maae needed a tutor, Tiani very quickly stepped in to help.

When we met in Vegas, we were kind of both struggling in different aspects, Tiani said.

When we met each other, it was like we had been waiting for that moment.

There was a change happening in our lives and we need each other.

The pair have been leaning on each other ever since and got married in Hawaii in 2023.

She helped me in a lot of ways, Maae said.

She still does.

Flourishing in Waco Going to Oregon was a family decision for Maae.

Being ranked as the No.

52 defensive end in the nation and No.

2 in Nevada, he had a lot of schools to pick from but chose the Ducks because of how integrally they involved his family in the process.

There was a steep learning curve for Maae as he backed up future fifth-overall pick Kayvon Thibodeaux during his three years at Oregon, where he had 23 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 29 appearances.

It took me a long time to mature and grow into myself and just learn how to learn, Maae said.

I had to learn how to watch tape, how to take notes, how to focus on my technique and apply the technique from drills to put it into a game.

Let's talk about the Rice-Eccles Stadium home advantage.

What makes it a special place to play? We ask Josh Furlong ( @JFurKSL ) of KSL-TV in Salt Lake City.

| Subscribe to the One True Podcast at https://shows.acast.com/one-true-podcast He came to Baylor so he could play more in a position he felt more comfortable in after the coaches at Oregon moved him from the edge to a more interior position.

A previous relationship with Baylor defensive coordinator Matt Powledge, who was the Oregon co-defensive coordinator for two years, helped shift his vision toward Waco.

Getting to know Coach Aranda more and having Coach Powledge in my corner, this is where I want to be, Maae said.

I would say Ive had the most growth as a player and a person since Ive been here.

Maae played in all 12 games for the Bears a year ago, totaling nine tackles and half a tackle for loss, but said he started to feel more comfortable as the year went on after he moved to his natural edge position.

This year, hes playing where he feels most comfortable and is feeling better than ever.

If Saturday was just the beginning, look out.

Its been amazing because how he played in the last game is how I remember him from high school, Tiani said.

When I watched him then, he knew he was the man.

Hes playing with that confidence again.

Its been great to see.

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