Johnny Maea at no. 53 highlights the UteNation countdown to kickoff for the 2023 season with 53 days until Utah hosts the Florida Gators. The senior offensive lineman has consistently seen action since his freshman season in 2019. In 2022 he saw snaps in seven games with two starts. Maea has been a dependable depth piece when healthy.

Will this be the season he becomes a consistent starter? As mentioned time and time again in these countdown pieces, the offensive line is stacked with a comfortably interchangeable two-deep.

UteNation Take

Maea’s size and strength was very obvious on tape coming out of high school in 2016. An LDS mission and four seasons later, Maea has developed into a solid and versatile lineman for the offensive line. While he has not grown into quite the same dominant force he was at East HS, his ability to step into just about anywhere on the line is a gigantic asset.

On paper, Maea would seem to be a logical fit to step in at one of the two open starting spots, but a spring ball injury and the emergence of some younger lineman may make that an uphill battle this fall.

The key to consistent playing time for him in 2023 will be all about staying healthy.

Remembering Maea’s Recruitment

Although Maea waited until December of 2015 to commit, it was never really a question that it would be the Utes. The dominant 3-star lineman who played his high school ball just down the street from Rice-Eccles Stadium also had offers from Utah State, BYU, Nevada, Washington State, and Oregon State.