Year 7 teacher’s premonition on Sydney Super Bowl star Jordan Mailata

As Aussie NFL star Jordan Mailata prepares to play in his second Super Bowl, his former school has reflected on his rise to fame.

Jordan Mailata’s high school PE teacher said he predicted the Aussie NFL star’s rise to fame the first time he saw him in year 7.

As the 27-year-old Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle prepares to play in his second Super Bowl on Monday (AEDT), his former Bankstown school has reflected on his journey to stardom.

Condell Park High School PE teacher Kieran Frappell told the ABC that Mailata’s potential was obvious from the beginning.

“I remember seeing him in year 7 and thinking, ‘This guy is going to be on the football team’,” he said.

Jordan Mailata graduated from Condell Park High School in Sydney's southwest. Picture: Supplied

Former principal Susie Mobayed has “beautiful memories” of Mailata, who was a sports captain at the school.

“He was a big teddy bear,” she said.

“Then we discovered his musical talent … He sang like an angel.

“How fortunate were we that the teachers here channelled his potential in terms of music and sport and worked with him.”

Students and staff are taking a break from their usual classroom work on Monday to watch Mailata in action together in the school hall.

The school community has decorated its buildings with Eagles posters and banners as it rallies behind one of its greatest student success stories.

Mailata was a ‘big teddy bear’ at school, according to former teachers. Picture: Mitchell Leff

Mailata and his fellow Eagles are set to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl after defeating division rivals Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship game last week.

He is hoping to become the first Aussie to win the big game and take home a championship ring.

However, that will mean taking down the Chiefs, who are looking to become the first team in NFL history to win three titles in a row.

“I have plenty of motivation, but that’s not (one of them) to stop the three-peat,” Mailata said at a press conference in New Orleans last week.

“I have plenty of motivation (outside of that), enough (for me).”

He is hoping to become the first Aussie to take home a Super Bowl ring. Picture: Supplied

Mailata also expressed his excitement ahead of the NFL commissioner announcing that, in 2026, the MCG would host an NFL regular season game.

“It’d mean everything to bring a game back home,” he said.

“I really want this game to grow back home, so if we can bring a game back there to generate interest and keep the growth of the game going, that’d mean a lot to me.”

The Bankstown-born star kicked off his career as a hulking ball carrier for South Sydney in the under-20s before becoming one of the highest-paid offensive tackles in the NFL.

He said the best thing about football is how accessible it is to people of all sizes.

“There are different heights and different sizes of every teammate of mine, and I think that’s what makes the sport beautiful,” Mailata said.

Originally published as Year 7 teacher’s premonition on Sydney Super Bowl star Jordan Mailata