21Aug 2011
Recruit Tracker: Sione Houma
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| Sione Houma |
August 19, 2011: Houma’s Highland team beat West by a score of 44-16. Houma had 16 carries for 112 yards, in additiion to a 95-yard kickoff return TD
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| Sione Houma |
August 19, 2011: Houma’s Highland team beat West by a score of 44-16. Houma had 16 carries for 112 yards, in additiion to a 95-yard kickoff return TD
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| Utah fullback Sione Houma (with ball) committed to Michigan last week |
Salt Lake City, UT, fullback Sione Houma committed to Michigan last Monday. He chose Michigan over offers from Utah, Utah State, and Washington.
Houma is a 6’0″, 211 lb. prospect with a reported 4.53 forty yard dash. Last season he rushed for 1,211 yards and 9 touchdowns from the fullback position in a triple option offense. His size and skills have led him to be ranked as a 2-star prospect by Scout . . . and not at all by anyone else.
Houma looks to be a typical West Coast-style fullback. He’s not huge and he’s not particularly fast, but he’s got a little bit of this and a little bit of that. He shows an ability to adjust to the ball in the air on short passes, he has a little bit of vision, he breaks away for an occasional long run, and he breaks some tackles in the process. His film won’t wow anyone, but not many fullbacks’ films do. One thing I really like about Houma is that he runs with a great forward lean when going through traffic. Since he’s not particularly tall, that means anybody who hits him in the shoulder pads is bound to go backwards. That body lean means that anybody who gets into his legs will probably bring him down, so he needs to work on his footwork a little bit. But it’s hard to take a high runner and make him run low, because guys just aren’t comfortable making that transition.
Another thing I like about Houma is that he probably doesn’t have the speed to break 50-yard runs or receptions, but he does have the ability to outrun linebackers and turn a 4-yard swing pass into a 10- or 15-yard swing passes. That skill won’t turn him into a superstar, but having a fullback who can gain some yards after the catch will be a valuable commodity when Michigan runs split backs and the quarterback decides to dump off the ball. Salt Lake City isn’t known for its football talent (only four 2011 prospects from the city signed FBS letters of intent – two to Utah, one to Navy, and one to Oregon State), but Houma looks superior to his peers.
Fullbacks aren’t exactly hot commodities in the spread-oriented offenses of today’s college football landscape, but Houma looks to be a slight upgrade from the John McColgans, Obi Oluigbos, and Vince Helmuths of the world.
TTB Rating: 69