 |
| 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
Why play guys who don't have talent? It seems like there's an unspoken, senseless tradition of putting lunch-pail guys with no talent at fullback. What's the point?
ReplyDeleteWhy would we ever consider putting Houma at FB instead of someone like Hopkins? If you don't care about running ability, play guys who are talented at blocking and pass catching.
But plays guys who have talent. Why put 2 star performers anywhere on the field?
You know more than i do, but every time I watch this kids highlight film, I think he's a tailback, especially if he pass blocks as tough as he runs. Relentless legs pumping like crazy.
ReplyDeleteGive him #20 then hope like hell. Maybe if he's lined up a little deeper he can see a hole and bounce around a little.
What are your thoughts on using a scholarship on a fullback this year when they have other dire needs? (i.e. DT)
ReplyDeleteI like this recruit. I am glad Borges is targeting a FB prospect in this mold rather than a pure jackhammer-type. Houma looks faster than I expected on his film. If that 4.53 time is legit, that's pretty good. Runs hard too. Seems like he has room to bulk up - I think he winds up around Hopkins size at 225-230. But he will be faster than Hopkins by my estimation.
ReplyDeleteI've read a lot of comments on this kid and comparison to Minor, but I think he looks and runs like Leroy Hoard. He is about the same size and has that initial burst from the line of scrimmage. Any thoughts?
ReplyDeleteA new Leroy Hoard would be really, really good
ReplyDelete