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Maiava juggles tackling quarterbacks and airport baggage

Life as a college student-athlete is difficult enough as is. Between practices, games and a full schedule of classes, athletes have to balance their time wisely during their sport season. Arizona football redshirt junior Abraham Maiava does all of this, while also working a weekend job at Tucson International Airport.

Maiava redshirted last season after tearing his ACL while at New Mexico Military Institute, where he played previously.

“It’s in Roswell,” Maiava said. "The town is only really popular for the UFO stuff.”

Out of football for a year, the 6-foot-2, 300 pounder came to Tucson where his family had come for his brother Lene, who was an offensive lineman at UA from 2011-2015.