University of Colorado freshman fullback Kai Maiava announced Wednesday that he will transfer at the end of the spring semester.

Maiava, who is a sophomore-to-be, is from Wailuku, Hawaii and said that the reason for his leaving is so that he may better deal with family issues.

He said he would like to transfer to another Division I school to play offensive line, where he starred for the Buffs in 2007, and he would consider transferring to a junior college or Division I-AA school.

Last season Maiava was named a first-team All-Big 12 freshman as an offensive guard but this spring CU coaches decided that he was better suited to play as a fullback. Maiava dropped from about 300 pounds to around 275 this spring but still was behind Maurice Cantrell and Jake Behrens for playing time at fullback.

Maiava said the position switch was a minor part of his decision to transfer, saying instead that he would simply like to be closer to his family in Hawaii.

CU head coach Dan Hawkins said "His decision was based on personal reasons, really a combination of a lot of things and situations he has going on."

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Contact Eliot Dempsey about this story at (303) 443-6272 ext. 112 or sports@coloradodaily.com