This past summer, Texas football player Liona Lefau wanted to show his teammates what makes his hometown of Laie, Hawaii, on the North Shore of Oahu so distinct.

A group of fellow Longhorns that included Anthony Hill Jr., Morice Blackwell Jr., Colton Vasek, Vernon Broughton, David Gbenda and Juan Davis enjoyed the pristine white sands of the beaches, the aqua reflection of the North Pacific and the crystal waterfalls trickling out of the rainforest.

But the most memorable moments didn’t come with a group photo or an Instagram post. They included a kind gesture to a child at football camp, a hug with one of Lefau’s aunts or a friendly wave from a familiar face on the street.

Those provided the visiting Longhorns a snapshot of the core values of Polynesian culture, said Lefau, a 6-foot-1, 225-pound sophomore linebacker. Those are what make up home.

“It was special for them to come visit me,” Lefau said after his breakout game against Louisiana-Monroe last Saturday, when he had a career-high seven tackles, a sack and a safety. “When it comes to Polynesian culture, we're big on love and respect and just treating everyone how you want to be treated.

"I was able to show them how we do things and our culture, so that was really important. We're pretty close, I would say; we're like brothers now.”

David Gbenda: 'He's always giving back'

Gbenda, a sixth-year senior and the linebacker room’s resident elder, said Lefau has revealed his “chill, island vibe” with his music and easy-going nature — at least off the field. But visiting Hawaii gave his teammates a broader perspective of a player Texas coach Steve Sarkisian has called “one of the best teammates" on the squad.

“To see the community he has surrounding him and just to see the amount of love and care and selflessness they all had for each other, just to see how he was brought up (was) special,” Gbenda said. “It just allowed me to understand him personally, and it just reinforced what I already knew about him: a great person who comes from humble beginnings, but also had a great village around him to raise him.”

Even the reason for the Hawaiian visit testified to Lefau’s selflessness, Gbenda said. Lefau helped organize a camp for young players in a football-mad corner of a football-mad state. The campers treated the Texas players like rock stars, Gbenda and Hill said. And Lefau treated them like family.

“He's always giving back to his village by example, bringing us there to just help them learn football and experience that themselves,” Gbenda said. “For him and for his culture, family and respect is a really big thing. He respects everyone. He shows us his culture through his music and his food and the stuff he wears, but also in how he treats other people.”

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Liona Lefau: Teammates' trust is key

It’s only fitting that Lefau got to welcome teammates to the North Shore because he's certainly making himself at home at Royal-Memorial Stadium.

Lefau had his best game of his young career this past Saturday in a 51-3 win over ULM. He ranks sixth on the team with 13 tackles and is tied with edge rusher Colin Simmons for the team lead in sacks with two. He’s helped the Longhorns give up just 5.5 points and 211.8 yards a game through the first four games, stats that both rank in the top five in the nation.

“I would just say my confidence is up a lot, thanks to my teammates,” Lefau said, specifically shouting out his fellow linebackers. “We push each other. Me, I get to compete with Ant Hill, Gbenda, Mo (Blackwell) and the rest of the crew each and every day.

“Every day, it's competition between us, who can have the right energy and performance every day. And it just helps me to build my confidence, especially when I can trust my teammates around me. It allows me to play freely and just have a good time out there.”

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Lefau and Hill are dynamic duo on, off field

Lefau is having a particularly good time with Hill, one of his best friends on the team. The two members of the Longhorns’ 2023 recruiting class share everything from film study and hotel rooms on the road to an American Sign Language class this semester. They also share a certain sense of humor that may surprise those that don’t know the normally stoic Lefau.

“I feel like we're both just kind of goofy people,” said Hill, the middle linebacker who leads the team with 25 tackles. “It just kind of made it easy to be friends. And we're always around each other, like 24/7.”

Oh, one more thing Hill and Lefau share: the team's defensive player of the game honor against ULM from the Texas coaches.

“The fact that our two defensive players of the game play the same position, I think that speaks volumes to a couple things,” Sarkisian said. “One, the depth on our football team right now and, two, the fact that guys aren't counting their reps, they're making their reps count. And I think that we've got a team full of guys that are selfless, that pull for one another, that understand the value of having the depth that we have. I think that was a pretty cool thing to recognize.”

Saturday's game

Mississippi State (1-3, 0-0) at No. 2 Texas (4-0, 0-0), 3:15 p.m., SEC Network, 1300, 98.1, 105.3 (Spanish)

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas linebacker Liona Lefau draws upon Hawaii home for inspiration