The University of Hawaii football coaches reviewed video, talked to Iowa State coaches, and reviewed more video.

If this were a Yelp evaluation, safety Chima Azunna was deserving of a 5-star rating for tackling.

In February, Azunna signed a scholarship agreement with UH to solidify his transfer from Iowa State. He is one of 19 Rainbow Warriors who previously played at an NCAA Division I school. Eight Division I transfers are part of the 2021 recruiting class.

“Really, what put us onto (Azunna) was his ability to tackle,” said Trent Figg, associate head coach of the defense, who works primarily with the safeties. “He’s a great tackler in the open field. He did a great job at Iowa State. He’s a physical player.”

In nine games in 2020, the Warriors relinquished 18 pass plays of 25-plus yards, and 44 of at least 15 yards. Opponents averaged 12.5 yards per third-down completion. The Warriors also were burned for 21 rushes of 20-plus yards. They ceded an average of 5.0 yards on first-down runs.

“We have to tackle in the secondary,” Figg said. “When you look at all the big-play runs, all big-play touchdowns, it all comes down to somebody in the secondary probably missed a tackle. A defensive lineman mis-fitted? Who cares? A linebacker mis-fitted? Who cares? We’ve got to tackle. A huge emphasis for us has been tackling in the back end so we can eliminate the big-play touchdown runs.”

Azunna, who can play both safety spots and the hybrid position, provides the physical force deep or in the tackle box. At 6 feet and 200 pounds, Azunna also is a speed reader who can decipher plays quickly. When he is aligned in the middle, he is viewed as the secondary’s quarterback.

“He’s an intense player,” Figg said. “He’s got a ton of experience. He played at a high level. He brings experience. He brings speed. He brings a different type of tackling into the (secondary), something we really needed going in this year.”

In three Iowa State seasons, 61.2% of Azunna’s tackles were solo stops.

“You can drill it, you can drill it, you can drill it,” Figg said of tackling, “and if you can track and you can tackle, you can get the job done. And tackling, a lot of it is a willingness to be physical.”

But similar to defensive teammates trained for multiple roles, Azunna insisted he is more than a hitter.

“I want to show people I’m versatile, and I can do more than just come down here and tackle,” Azunna said. “I can go in the back end and cover deep routes. I can do everything.”