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Hundreds of talented college football players from around the nation are deep in a maze of preparations for a moment in time that could feature their names on the Big Board at the NFL Draft come April 23.

One such young man is former UC Davis quarterback Jake Maier. After guiding the Aggies to their first-ever Big Sky Conference title and a trip into the Division I postseason, Maier graduated in December as the school's all-time passing-yardage leader (11,163).

The 6-foot signal-caller also set career benchmarks with 1,495 attempts and 992 completions. Maier's 88 lifetime touchdown passes rank second in school annals behind only NFL veteran J.T. O'Sullivan.

The list of honors bestowed on the La Habra native during his three-year stay in Davis fills a couple of pages of his résumé. His leadership qualities were praised to the high heavens by teammates, head Aggie coach Dan Hawkins and offensive coordinator Tim Plough (himself a pretty good QB in his UC Davis days).

But Maier doesn't want the accolades and praise to be epitaphs, he wants his football life to continue. Since picking up his communications degree, the 22-year-old has been hard at work in Anaheim, further honing his on-field skills and physical conditioning at Stars Sports Training facility.

I got a chance to interrupt Maier's laser focus to catch up and look ahead. The news of Jake participating in this Sunday's Hula Bowl was our first topic of discussion.

"I got the invitation through Dan Hawkins last month," Maier explained. "Coach Hawkins asked if I wanted to play in a bowl game."

Of course he did, but wasn't sure how these types of invitations work.

"Coach made a couple of calls and, literally two hours later while I was working out, the owner of the Hula Bowl called and formally invited me."

Before accepting, the now-ex-Aggie needed some inner-circle advice. First, he called Plough on the way home to talk to his family.

"I told (Coach Plough) how excited I was," Maier reports. "He was pretty excited, too, but gave me advice on the whole thing. After telling everybody, it was like 30 minutes later, I called (Hula Bowl officials) back and said 'Hey, I'm in.' 

"They've been really, really cool. They reach out to family members to let them know the schedule that we will follow. I hear from Hula Bowl people frequently."

(Aggie fans can watch Maier on Sunday, Jan. 26, on CBS Sports Network. Game time is 7:30 p.m. PT from Aloha Stadium.) 

Playing in a game like this will be a solid step forward as Maier jockeys for an early position to show next-level scouts what his game is all about.

"The Hula Bowl means there are people out there who believe that I can play," he said. "It gives me life, an extra opportunity to showcase who I am and how hard I work.

"I'm going to put my best foot forward during the week. I'm very, very focused. I've been working six, seven days a week since I got home to make sure I'm the best player and person for any organization out there.

"(Playing in the Hula Bowl) means the world to me. It means the world to my family; they're all going. It's just a beautiful thing."

I asked Jake if he's been in touch with another former Aggie, Oakland Raiders wideout Keelan Doss.

Doss and Maier were the deadliest Big Sky aerial combination in 2017-18. Figuring that both worked out in Orange County (Doss in Laguna Beach), I wondered if they'd been playing any catch together ...

"We haven't gotten around to it yet because he's still figuring out his situation," Jake explained. "And we're a little bit separated right now, but I'm sure when we get a weekend off, when we get that down time, we'll get together again."

Meanwhile, Doss and Maier have been in constant contact via text and phone.

"He really got the whole experience of the NFL in just a few months," Maier told me.

(Remember, Doss was Oakland's leading receiver during the 2019 preseason, then was cut and brought to Jacksonville to sign with the Jaguars. Before that ink even got out of the pen, the Raiders called Alameda native Doss home and signed him to a three-year NFL contract — then rarely used him to catch passes. Long story short, there's a soap opera in there somewhere.)

"That's part of the deal, the business aspect of it," Maier told me. "You have to always stay ready … the organization always is going to make its best moves business-wise and you just have to be ready to go at all times. You have to make sure you're prepared for anything.

"For him to move around and eventually get compensated the way he did and make the most of his opportunities when he got some playing time is really, really cool. Something I definitely look up to because I understand (the NFL could) be something I'm walking myself into."

Maier said his one-time favorite target has provided a "ton of advice," adding: "I actually bug him at this point with questions... We talk about agents and all kinds of stuff to make sure I'm on the right track."

With a storied college career behind him and this invitation to the rejuvenated Hula Bowl a feather in his postgraduate cap, Maier mentioned that he is close to signing with an agent, but just isn't ready to make the announcement yet as to whom it will be.

After the Hula Bowl, what's Jake's path?

"Just work every day and trust the people who are around me to help," he said.

His longtime quarterback coach, Danny Hernandez, is still by Maier's side. Stars gym owners Jason Davis and Chris Flores have been big supporters, too, he continued. Plus, Jake is working in a group of eight SEC and Pac-12 players.

"I've learned a lot about football — X's and O's — around Coach Plough and Coach Hawkins the last few years, so I'm trusting the knowledge I had as I continue to sharpen it," Maier said. "Learn more as I go."

Then, with his current coaches, Maier is convinced that "I have everything I need and I think when you're in a situation where you have all those boxes checked, you just let the work take care of itself.

"I'm very fortunate to be where I'm at because there are guys out there who don't have the resources that I do. It's my job to make the most out of that.

"I already feel I'm a better player. I feel like I'm faster, I can throw the ball farther, I'm more accurate than I was a few months ago and hopefully I can build my athleticism up to where I want it to be. Then I'll feel really, really good about going into (the April 23 NFL draft)."

Maier took a deep breath just before we concluded our phone chat ...

"You know, if you had told me all these things were going to happen five, six years ago, I'd have told you you were crazy. I'm just really grateful," Maier told me.

Aggie Nation is equally grateful for the three record-breaking seasons Jake gave the program.

 
DON'T MISS OUT
UC Davis football fans can place a deposit for 2020 season tickets by contacting the Athletics Ticket Office at (530) 752-AGS1, visiting the box office in person (located at UC Davis Health Stadium) Monday-Friday between 10 a.m.-5 p.m., or online at UCDavisAggies.com.