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| Sione Houma |
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 229 lbs.
High school: Salt Lake City (UT) Highland
Position: Fullback
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #39
Last year: I ranked Houma #86 and said he would redshirt. He had 1 kickoff return for 9 yards and 2 tackles on special teams.
Houma entered last season as the third fullback, but a mid-season departure from Stephen Hopkins opened the door a little bit more for playing time. Joe Kerridge was the starting fullback, but Houma played a couple games there and also saw quite a bit of time on special teams. He didn't touch the ball offensively, but that's just about par for the course in Michigan's offense.
This year Hopkins is out of the way, so it looks like Houma will be the primary backup to incumbent starter Joe Kerridge. True freshman Wyatt Shallman, brought in as a running back, may eventually play some at fullback, too. Houma has been praised for his lead blocking, and he also has some value as a special teamer, so he should get a fair amount of playing time.
Prediction: Backup fullback, special teams
This seems fair. He's probably going to be a significant contributor in terms of downs played but is somewhat replaceable as a blocker and special teamer. And if the coaches aren't getting performance from the position they can simply use more H-Backs/TEs or even go 3-wide more often.
ReplyDeleteOTOH - it's usually a good sign when a true freshman can contribute without any major problems. Perhaps we'll see some of the pass-catching skills we heard about from him during his recruitment. Wouldn't surprise me to see him catch a few balls this year.
I thought Houma looked small when he came in last fall, but he appears to have bulked up some based on spring photos. He is a pretty fast guy so it will be interesting to see if Borges can use him in the passing game. The staff went all the way out to Utah to get him so I assume they have some plans to use him.
ReplyDeleteHouma looked quick and natural at catching the ball on his single reception during the spring game. The dude returned kicks in high school, so we know he's athletic, but it's nice to hear his lead blocking praised.
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