At high noon, Laiu Moeakiola faces a daunting challenge.

At 25, Moeakiola is the youngest member of the Hawaii football coaching staff. But that means nothing when he hangs out with the other defensive coaches.

“Coach (Dan) Phillips, Coach (Victor) Santa Cruz, Coach Abe (Elimimian) and Coach (Jacob) Yoro, those guys are getting after it during the lunch hour, getting the work in,” said Moeakiola, who coaches the UH safeties and hybrid defensive back/linebacker position. “They’re jogging around campus. They keep me in check. I feel like the older guy in the group. It’s been awesome.”

Moeakiola also tries to keep pace with head coach Todd Graham’s enthusiasm and work ethic. “He’s 59, and he brings it every day,” Moeakiola said. “He brings the juice. Man, I’m 25, and he brings more energy than I do. He represents it every day. That’s the best thing about it. He walks the walk.”

Cohorts also praise Moeakiola as a rising coach who has demonstrated a grasp of schemes and ability to teach them to players.

Moeakiola was a hard-hitting safety at Arizona State under Graham, who was the Sun Devils’ head coach at the time. UH hired Graham in January. Moeakiola said he shares with his players his experience of playing in Graham’s system. “I’m trying to have that same imprint on kids’ lives that the coaches had on me when I was playing,” Moeakiola said.

In turn, during coaches’ meetings, he said, “I’m able to be a sponge. It’s not just the Xs and Os in the D-staff meetings. You hear certain things about why (coaches) are the way they are, situations in their lives that happened. My mom used to say, ‘there’s a reason God gave you two ears and one mouth.’ It’s listening and learning. It’s basically to listen to understand and not to reply.”

Moeakiola said he learned to honor culture and history while growing up in Euless, Texas. His parents and two older brothers were born in Tonga. The family then moved to Texas about 30 years ago. Euless has a large Polynesian population because of its 5.4-mile proximity to DFW International Airport, where many residents work. “The biggest reason is the access and resources of being able to fly families from the island to the mainland,” said Moeakiola, whose father has worked for American Eagle airline since his early 20s.

According to a U.S. Department of Education 2020 survey, Moeakiola’s alma mater, Trinity High, ranked third nationally in ethnic diversity among American public high schools. There are about 3,000 Euless residents who identify as having Tongan ancestry.

Before every football game, the Trinity players perform sipi tau, a Tongan war dance. “For us, it was a tradition where we respected those before us and then building the future after us,” Moeakiola said. “It was something special we did for our community. It got us prepared. It acknowledged all the sacrifices before us and how we honor them when we play.”

Moeakiola said he found that same respect when he took a recruiting trip to Arizona State as a high school senior. Moeakiola had planned to commit to UCLA before stepping on the ASU campus.

“What stood out to me when I went on the visit was what (the coaches) were as people,” Moeakiola said. “They told their personal stories and their ‘whys’ of why they got into coaching. The ability to to have an impact and imprint on kids’ lives and, at the same time, compete for championships while building champions. It wasn’t just my four years of playing football. It was about those 40 years after.”

Moeakiola said he hopes to replicate that atmosphere at UH. After a serving as a graduate assistant at TCU for three years, he accepted Graham’s UH offer in February.

“I wouldn’t have gotten that (TCU position) without the grace of God,” Moeakiola said, “and now I’m here with the grace of God.”