Warriors find Justice

The Hawaii football coaches were looking for a strong defender who worked diligently and valued doing things the right way.

They were seeking Justice.

Justice Augafa, who is 5 feet 11 and 205 pounds, has met the criteria in his first seven practices as the Rainbow Warriors’ rover. Augafa has been part of the No. 1 rotation in certain defensive packages.

“I think he really fits in here,” coach Nick Rolovich said.

The Warriors’ 2017 recruiting wish list included a safety with speed to cover inside receivers and feistiness to mix it up in the tackle box. Defensive backs coach Abraham Elimimian, the point recruiter in Los Angeles, said he used extensive “ground work” to find Augafa at Los Angeles Harbor College.

“The thing about him is his versatility,” Elimimian said. “He’s played kick returner, punt returner, nickel and safety. He’s one of those guys who can do a lot of things.”

It appeared the Warriors initially couldn’t squeeze Augafa into the 2017 recruiting class. “Then some things happened, and we kept him on our list,” Rolovich said.

Augafa, who was raised in Anchorage, Alaska, chose UH over San Diego State.

Augafa arrived in Hawaii on July 26, the first day of training camp. The following day was the first practice, and Augafa was summoned as a rover.

“It’s a really interesting position,” Augafa said. “It’s a safety who can play in the box and has the opportunity to blitz.”

Every practice, Augafa faces a 6-foot-5, 245-pound obstacle.

“The only tight end I’ve been going up against is Tui,” Augafa said of Metuisela ‘Unga, one of the top tight ends in the Mountain West Conference. “Right off my position, he has to stick his arm up and he’s got me. It’s great to go against him. I know playing against him makes me better.”

Safeties coach Jacob Yoro said “there’s no doubt” Augafa benefits from facing ‘Unga.

“We have one of the best tight ends in the league,” Yoro said. “(Assistant) coach Mayur (Chaudhari) always says iron sharpens iron. Were getting some great work.”

‘Unga said: “I’m out here trying to make the team better. If we’re making the defense better, that makes the offense better.”

During his UH recruiting visit, Augafa was told of a specific plan of how he might be used.

“We presented a vision to him on how he could succeed here,” Elimimian said. “So far we’ve lived up to the bargain on our end, and he’s doing a good job of playing the position. He hit the ground running. It was one of those things for him to get these reps and learn the defense. He’s doing a really good job at it.”

During Thursday’s red-zone drill, Augafa intercepted a pass and sprinted the other way for a touchdown.