There are fullbacks, H-backs and tight ends on the University of Hawaii football team and, then, there is a “Kaiwi.”

“He’s kind of unique,” head coach Nick Rolovich said.

“He” is Kaiwi Chung, somebody who can, depending upon the situation, line up as a fullback, H-back or tight end and is carving out an identity by learning to play all three for the Rainbow Warriors.

“I think, for the longest time, not many people knew what he was,” Rolovich said. “It took a while to find that role.”

Indeed, Chung showed up at UH two seasons ago as a center, which is where he was a three-year starter and an all-state selection at Kamehameha. But there didn’t appear to be much of a future for a 5-foot, 11-inch 270-pound center in Division I college football.

So he redshirted in 2014, moved around some and appeared in two games on special teams last season while looking for a niche.

But in all the head scratching over what to do with Chung, a couple of traits were unmistakable: He was a punishing blocker who employed his leverage well and, wherever coaches put him, Chung dug in and dedicated himself to trying to master the position.

“I mean, I love the way he practices, you can tell it is important to him to get it right,” Rolovich said. “He’s probably got the biggest workload (of anybody) right now. But it doesn’t matter what he does, or what happens, he is trying to get better. It means a lot to him.”

For his assignment Chung dropped more than 30 pounds, reshaping himself for the new duties. And he put in overtime, staying after practice, to come to terms with the once-foreign skills of catching and running with the ball.

“It took some adjustment, going away from something you’ve done your whole life,” Chung said. “But I took it as a challenge that they wanted me to play a skill position and took the time to try to learn the (intricacies).”

Some of Chung’s friends, former offensive teammates mostly, have seen his conversion as fertile ground for poking some fun. “They like to tease me,” Chung said. “They tell me, ‘get back on the offensive line where you belong’ and ‘remember, don’t fumble the ball.’ ”

Chung chalks it up to jealousy. “It is every fat man’s dream to carry the ball,” he said.

Rolovich said, “I love the way he practices, the way he works and how much he wants to be here, so he is going to have a role on this team. He isn’t necessarily a pass-catching threat, but schematically he understands what we’re trying to do, so he is going to have some value for us.”

Rolovich said, “He has a role. He has an identity. I think he likes that and I know that we like it. Hopefully, he has the season for it.”

Yet, a label for his position has been elusive. “I’m not sure what you’d call him. But he is going to have a role that is going to help us win some football games,” Rolovich said.

So, what is he?

“You could probably classify him as more of a fullback type,” Rolovich said, “but what he is, for us, is ‘Kaiwi.’ ”

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.