Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Sione Houma Answers Your Questions


Sione Houma is the first scholarship athlete to be recruited to Michigan as a fullback since Vince Helmuth in 2007. But unlike Helmuth - an eventual 290-pound bruiser who moved to defensive tackle before transferring - it's likely that Sione will be fulfilling a more versatile role in Michigan's offense. Houma's commitment post describes him as a well-rounded player with "a little bit of this and a little bit of that." Sione agrees, saying, "I think I'm pretty much even at everything; I don't have one top [skill] - maybe going 100% every play." Although Sione admits to being a man of few words, he was nice enough to answer several reader questions last Saturday while watching his older brother's rugby game.

Utah to Michigan: "My friends are all excited for me to go to a big-name college and play football. . . . My family is happy that I am going out of state so I can be independent and learn new things on my own. . . . [I decided to come to Michigan] for the education, first of all. It's one of the top colleges in the U.S., and I'll have more opportunities and more choices to major from."

Playing fullback: "Fullbacks are protecting the running backs when they have the ball. Just go around the linemen - let them do their work. One thing I love about fullback is going after everyone else, showing that I'm not scared of anyone."

Increase in level of competition: "I'm not really worried about it. I'm just going to play my normal game. Everybody [at the next level] is going to be the best. But I'm trying to top that and do what I can do to do my best. . . . I look up to [defensive lineman] Haloti Ngata for the Ravens. I'm a big time fan. He always plays to the best of his ability, gives 100% on every play."

Ethnicity, heritage: "Tonga, it's in the Pacific Islands. I was born and raised in Utah; my parents were born and raised back in the islands. They sacrificed a lot to move over here for me and my siblings to have a better life, to have more opportunities to choose from."

Height and weight: "I weigh 220 [pounds] right now; I'm 6'0''. I'm trying to weigh up to 230 or 240, somewhere around there. They [the coaches] said they want me at like 230. They gave me a workout book for last month and this month, I think. It's a challenge to me so I can work harder and get bigger and get to where I want to be."

Redshirting: "We'll see when the time comes. I don't know what I want to do yet."

Senior year injury: "I had a high ankle sprain. I had to sit out a couple games. But at the end of it, it was good because I was healthy when I came back. . . . I'm fully recovered."

Jammin': "I like chilling with my family and friends, and I love to jam. [I play] the Ukulele, but I haven't played in a while."

8 comments:

  1. I love the guys like Houma who are both great athletes and interested in academics.

    UMgradMSUdad

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  2. Plays the ukulele? That guy's OK in my book.

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  3. Bring on the Pacific islanders. I hope Hoke can score more of them in the future. They tend to be aggressive players but humble guys.

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  4. Dorian odaniel cancelled his visit

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  5. Great interview. I'm also very excited to finally learn how to pronounce his name correctly.

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  6. Excited to have him as a Wolverine. Does his talking on the field, motivated by family, interested in the University beyond sports. He'll be a great teammate.

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  7. going to be one heck of a fullback with his size and pretty good speed-.....the young man can motor for his size....hm the future of this Michigan football team....... is going from the spread to the hammer....makes me very excited the up coming seasons..... and I'm going to love watching every min of it.

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