UC Davis transfer DL Chubba Maae commits to Arizona

Arizona landed its second transfer commitment of the day Monday evening when UC Davis defensive lineman Chubba Maae announced his pledge to the Wildcats following a weekend official visit to Tucson.

"The energy level, competitiveness, and how much fun the team has played a big factor, said Maae when asked why he picked Arizona. "But the biggest part was how much of a family the team is."

The junior, who has one season of remaining eligibility, comes to Arizona with plenty of experience after playing in 36 games over three seasons with the Aggies. In that time, he has collected 59 tackles, 8 tackles for loss and two sacks.

He also has a pair of fumble recoveries in his career.

The Wildcats beat out Baylor and Houston for the 6-foot-2, 370-pound defensive lineman who is originally from Long Beach, California. He entered the transfer portal on Nov. 28 after UC Davis' head coach Dan Hawkins stepped down and was replaced by Cal tight ends coach Tim Plough.

"Coach Jason Kaufusi and defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen are the ones who recruited me, they’re amazing coaches as you can see with what they did with the defense this past year, but they’re even better people," said Maae. "I’ve only known them a couple of weeks, but it feels like I’ve known them forever like they’re my uncles."

Maae played his high school football at Long Beach Poly, which is a school the Wildcats have been able to build a connection with under Jedd Fisch. Nansen is from Long Beach, and his relationships in the area have been valuable in building that pipeline with the Southern California high school program.

"Outside of personal/mental development player development is one of the most important things," said Ma'ae. "As far going to the next level, it’s important to me, but i’m focused on doing what’s best for the team and winning it all."

The new UA transfer commit played in eight games this season and had 15 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery.

He had four tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery in an October matchup with Weber State.

Maae joins Indiana defensive back Jordan Shaw as the first two transfer additions for the Wildcats following a big visit weekend for the program. Shaw, another Southern California native, announced his pledge to Arizona earlier in the evening.

> DISCUSS the article with other Arizona fans as the Wildcats continue Building The Tradition

> WATCH the latest videos from GOAZCATS.com and subscribe to our YouTube channel

> FOLLOW us on Twitter (@goazcatscom, @MattRMoreno, @THutch1995, @RyanYoungRivals)

> FOLLOW us on Instagram (@goazcats)

> LIKE us on Facebook

> SUBSCRIBE for all the latest Arizona Wildcats team and recruiting news (subscribe now)