#### **H**ufanga has plenty more to accomplish in his NFL career.
The former first-team All-Pro has more punishing hits to deliver, more turnovers to force and more wins to earn. With any luck, he'll help the Broncos to another postseason run after he played in two conference championship games with the 49ers.
But he also has a plan for what's next.
"I definitely want to be a coach one day," Hufanga says.
And, specifically, at the high school level. For years, Hufanga has known he wants to pursue that path, one that combines his passion for football with his commitment to help young people.
"I think it's because of the age that they're at, it's where you're trying to take a young boy and turn him into a young man," Hufanga says. "And get him ready for the tools that they're going to need when they get to college or whatever their next step in life is. … I always think it's cool to catch them at a young age where they can really prosper and be a great human being, first and foremost. Their character is developed at that age, so I just want to be a part of that."
As Hufanga prepares for that chapter of his life, he's got one of the best possible resources at his disposal.
The postgame conversations with Logan are about more than Hufanga's sincere interest in high school football. They've also provided Hufanga with lessons he could use in a future coaching career.
"I've learned that there's something special about teaching the kids," Hufanga says. "It's not all about winning. … How can you develop a player and how you can further them to be a good person as they grow into the full player they want to be?"
Hufanga certainly has a believer in Logan, who says he and Hufanga have discussed the importance of good role models for high school players.
"I told him that whenever he was done with a long, great career, I'd be happy to try to help him in any way I could," Logan says. "He obviously would have the credibility because of being the kind of player he is, but he also seems to me to have the right sort of temperament and personality. It's pretty obvious that he loves kids, and I don't think there's any question that he loves football. Those two things are required for high school coaches."
Logan says Hufanga's recent pregame speech demonstrated his ability as a natural communicator, and he credits Hufanga's thoughtfulness and engaging personality as traits that could help him succeed in the field.
"He has the credibility," Logan says. "When you walk in the locker room full of high school players and you're the starting safety in the NFL for the home team and playing really well, you have their attention immediately. You've been them. You've done what they've done. You've been in high school. You've then gone to college and dealt with the ups and downs there. Now, you're in the NFL and there's plenty of ups and downs in that life as well. He's able to express perspective that very few people can because he's lived all of it."
Logan, of course, knows that better than most. He played nine years in the NFL before beginning his own high school coaching career, and he now holds more state championships than anyone in Colorado preps history.
While his playing career is far from finished, Hufanga could be next to find success in jumping from the NFL to high school coaching.
"I hope he plays however many years he wants to play and stays healthy and productive, because I think he's a hell of a player," Logan says. "But when the time's right, I think he'd be the kind of guy who would be just an absolutely great choice to be a high school coach."