Malosi Ilaoa’s recruiting stock has been climbing fast, and the Timpview standout says the attention picked up in a hurry after the UA Camp.
The four-star athlete has turned a strong offseason into a profile that keeps expanding, and now he’s heading into his junior season with a national audience starting to take notice. Ilaoa said the process has come with a little bit of pressure, but he’s been using the time since then to get ready for what he wants to show on the field.
"The recruiting process has been surprising because after the UA Camp it really started to pop off, and it's been kind of stressful," Isaoa told Cougar Sports Insider. "But these past few months, I have been training and practicing to prepare for this season to prove myself that I am 'that guy'".
So far, the offers have backed up the buzz. Ilaoa has picked up scholarship opportunities from BYU, Utah, Cal, Minnesota, Arizona, Arizona State, Stanford, and a handful of PAC-12 and a handful of G5 programs. He’s also hearing more from Michigan, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma.
At 6-2 and 180 pounds, Ilaoa has the kind of frame that fits a hard-hitting safety, and there’s also room for him to grow into a linebacker role down the line. That combination has helped make him one of the more intriguing names in the 2028 recruiting class.
BYU has been involved for a long time, and that early relationship has kept the Cougars in a strong spot. Kelly Poppinga and Demario Warren have made it clear that Ilaoa is one of their top priorities in that class.
"BYU has been texting me a lot ever since I was eligible to receive text messages from colleges. I was able to do an unofficial visit and their camp in May.
The coaches I hear from the most are Demario Warren and Coach Popp at BYU," Ilaoa said. "My relationship with them both is that they are like my mentors and coaches."
For now, though, Ilaoa’s focus stays on Timpview and what comes next for the T-Birds. The team had some bumps last season by its own standards, but Ilaoa believes the group is in a better place after a full offseason together.
"The development for our team has gotten better through this offseason, and we are starting to look like a dangerous team if we trust each other and commit to our assignments. At first we struggled with new players showing up, but now that we all have the same goal of taking the 'ship this year our chemistry and bond is stronger," he said.
As Ilaoa and Timpview head into the season, the eyes of BYU and plenty of other programs will be on him. And if the early momentum is any indication, that attention is only going to keep growing.
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