Justice Augafa’s athleticism gives University of Hawaii football team multiple options

Justice is served in many forms.

In high school and junior college, Justice Augafa played quarterback, running back, safety, linebacker and returner. In the past 12 months, Augafa has practiced at three positions for the University of Hawaii football team.

“Offense, defense, it doesn’t matter to me,” Augafa said. “I’ll play special teams. I’ll do whatever I can to help the team.”

After transferring from Los Angeles Harbor College in August 2017, Augafa competed at viper, the hybrid safety-linebacker position. When it was decided Augafa would redshirt last year, he practiced at running back. This training camp, he is aligned at wideout.

“I think he’s a playmaker,” UH coach Nick Rolovich said. “I think he’s doing a nice job learning. I think he’s a guy we can use in multiple spots this year.”

For now, Rolovich said, “we’re trying to get him to learn the pass game because he does have some explosiveness.”

To ease the transition, the 5-foot-11 Augafa lost 25 pounds during offseason training and now weighs 200. “I was a bit thicker last year,” Augafa said. “There’s a great training system here. It really helped me get back into shape.”

In the Warriors’ resurrected run-and-shoot offense, the wideouts are required to choose their routes based on the defensive coverage. Because each pattern is part of the larger offensive fabric — some routes are used to draw defenders away from other receivers — specific spacing is required.

“At receiver, my biggest thing is splits,” Augafa said. “If I get my splits wrong, that means the slots are going to get their splits wrong. I have to keep it together and work on it every day.”

Augafa was born and reared in Anchorage. He often reminisces about summer days in Alaska.

“It’s perfect,” he said. “It’s like 70s. The sun doesn’t go down until, like, 12, and only for an hour. And then it comes back up. In the summer, you’re out playing football, hanging out with friends and family.”

In the Alaskan winters, he said, “I usually go snowboarding. But my friends take me to watch me wipe out.”

Augafa said he still is adjusting to the climate difference between the 49th and 50th states.

“The heat,” Augafa said. “The humidity. That’s one thing I’m getting used to. I can’t wear shirts around sometimes because I’m burning up. I have to stay in the room. I have to stay in the locker room with the a/c on.”

But Augafa said has found a way to blend the different cultures.

“One of my dad’s friends hunts moose,” Augafa said of the meat that is prepared and packaged as patties. “He packs them up and ships them to my dad. He makes loco moco moose. It’s really good. It’s like sweet meat.”