Skyline welcomes the new head football coach, Marcus Mailei, after a comprehensive search for someone worthy. Mailei has always had a love and passion for football. He started playing football at the age of eight and has been coaching football since 2011. He played football at Highland High School and played college football at Weber State University. After college, he played for the New Orleans Saints from 2009 to 2010, where he won a Super Bowl ring in Super Bowl XLIV.
Mailei’s coaching career started at Cottonwood High School, where he coached for two years. He then coached for Highland Ute Conference’s Little League and Cottonwood’s Little League. After coaching for years, he took a break and began coaching again in 2020. “When COVID hit, I took a break from coaching. Then jumped back into coaching in 2020 with Alta High School, and then jumped over to Skyline in 2021,” said Mailei.
Mailei said his favorite part of coaching is being around the game and helping others. “I enjoy the game, I enjoy watching it, I enjoy playing it, and I enjoy coaching it, so it’s just nice to… help others understand it and grow in the sport.” He feels great about being the head football coach at Skyline, stating, “The boys are working hard. [Skyline] is a great community,” said Mailaei. He appreciates what the institution has done for the education and sporting programs at Skyline: “I feel a part of a great team, a great organization, and I’m loving it.”
Mailei’s biggest reward for coaching at Skyline is seeing the football players grow as athletes. Mailei said, “Seeing them grow… seeing them accomplish new things in the weight room, and run faster on the track. Seeing them jump higher and quicker…is probably one of the most exciting things for me.”
The biggest struggle for Mailei is getting the program set up. “The biggest struggle so far [is]…making sure you’re trying to keep programs running that were running before you got here, so just trying to keep the same rhythm and keep parents, players, and administration happy,” he explained.
As a football coach, he is looking forward to seeing Skyline’s Football team celebrating and earning those wins. He stated, “[I’m] looking forward to the day the boys get to wear pads, and get to line up against someone else other than themselves.” Mailei enjoys being at Skyline and coaching the football team. “We have a great future on the football team, and I’m really excited for it,” Mailei added.
