2012 Recruiting: Sione Houma Comment Count

Brian

Previously: S Jeremy Clark, S Allen Gant, S Jarrod Wilson, CB Terry Richardson, LB James Ross, LB Royce Jenkins-Stone, LB Kaleb Ringer, LB Joe Bolden, DE Chris Wormley, DE Tom Strobel, DE Mario Ojemudia, DT Matt Godin, DT Willie Henry, DT Ondre Pipkins, OL Ben Braden, OL Erik Magnuson, OL Blake Bars, OL Kyle Kalis, TE AJ Williams, TE Devin Funchess, WR Jehu Chesson, and WR Amara Darboh.

       
Salt Lake City, UT – 6'0", 227
       

747797[1]

Scout 3*, #5 FB
Rivals 3*, #5 FB
ESPN 2*, #4 FB
24/7 3*, #6 FB
Other Suitors Utah, Washington
YMRMFSPA Matt Asiata
Previously On MGoBlog Hello post from Tim. JeepinBen writes on the new role of fullbacks, comparing Houma's future role to that of Jacob "Not Devin" Hester.
Notes Tongan, not Samoan. Plays the ukelele(!)

Film

Junior Highlights:

Postgame interview.

Sione Houma was pigeonholed as a fullback and came out of lightly-recruited Utah, so there isn't much out there about him aside from the occasional basic scouting report and one pretty fanciful comparison($) to Stanley Havili, the former USC fullback who specialized in turning basic wheel routes into touchdowns in the era when Trojan opponents were going 11-on-1 versus Reggie Bush. That:

…reminds me of former USC fullback Stanley Havili, who also is from the Salt Lake City, Utah, area. Houma has great hands catching passes out of the backfield and enough speed to get the corner. He has a great frame to add weight to as well.

Havili had offers from USC, Oregon, Nebraska, and others, a four-star ranking from most places, and was universally the top guy in Utah that year. Houma's down the list, and didn't have any other offers from power-type programs. So probably not Havili.

That's not to say Houma is just another roughneck who moves like a dump truck when he gets the ball. His high school team ran a flexbone triple option in which Houma was the A-back—the guy who plunges up the middle over and over again. He got the plurality of carries in that offense, and he has the potential to be a ball carrier if things break that way. Hey, let's hear from Fred Jackson!

"He is the real deal. He can run the football. He is powerful. He is going to be a very good football player. he is very physical for a guy his size," Jackson said. "And you know he is around 220 (pounds). He is a very physical and has great skill. He is really a half-back on film, but he will play fullback."

"…and he can transform into a Dairy Queen."

ESPN does think he's got the ability to pick up those little chunks of yards($) as long as he's not asked to dodge someone:

Houma is a tweener fullback/tailback prospect …durable and tough but will need to add bulk to adjust if recruited to play fullback. Has better burst than top-end speed but is just fast enough at the high school level to not get caught from behind on long runs. … lacks great cutback vision and patience. … Quickly gains north-south momentum through the hole; little hesitation. … Physical downhill runner with good lower-body power and balance. Breaks through consistent first contact. …Minimal elusiveness in the openfield. … Will not be a perimeter threat at the major college level. …brings valued versatility to a two-back offense.

His coach is more positive, as is the way of things. He also makes Houma out to be a potentially useful ballcarrier:

"Just from what I have seen from last year to this year, he's got some speed, quickness and niftiness to him that it would not surprise me to see him in a bigger tailback spot where maybe they need to pound a little bit. I think he could fit that role as well."

"I think he could be 235 in a heartbeat and still retain a lot of that speed and quickness," Benson said. "I've seen him increase [his speed] just over the past year and he's gained 10-12 pounds in that time."

Elsewhere his coach notes "great hands" and the fact that he's a "good blocker" before mentioning this:

"Like when he runs, he keeps his feet moving, and that's always key; he lowers his pad level and will really hit you."

His coach told Sam Webb something similar:

"…a real nifty runner as far as being as big as he is, but he can also just lower his shoulder and run right over the top of you. He has got some power, some agility, definitely got some quickness and speed to him.

…what makes him so tough in our offense is that he does hit north and south and once he gets his shoulders turned, people have a hard time stopping him.”

Offer: explained. Rawls may have that sort of pile-pushing, leg churning short-yardage power but no one else on the roster is that kind of burrower and Michigan would like a guy that can do that and block and catch besides.

---------------------------

I'm serious about this Whipsaw Offense stuff. Houma is another piece, and one that Borges has proven he'll use in the past if it seems like a good idea($):

The fullback in Borges' previous offense at San Diego State accounted for the most fourth rushing yards and third most receiving yards on the team in 2010.

And that was the good SDSU year under Hoke, so that wasn't an "oh crap toss it short" thing. A guy like Houma is a viable target when you're flippin' your jibbers. TTB strikes on his real appeal to the coaches:

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. …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. …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. 

Each of these guys covered in the big athlete category is a slightly different big athlete doing slightly different things, and we're about to hit Dennis Norfleet, who is by no means a "big athlete" but also promises to be a guy who does slightly different things than anyone else on the roster. Then next year you've got Butt and Hill coming in to add to the fun. Whipsaw, yo.

Etc.: Trades spring break time for service. Random quote:

"I just said thank you for your service. I think that is the ultimate sacrifice," said senior Izzy Washburn. "I also drew a giraffe. Everybody likes giraffes."

Flerf:

Houma, resembles a muscle car: It gains momentum as it accelerates, but with handling capable of diverting contact and racing to the end zone.

Why Matt Asiata? I don't keep a close eye on fullbacks around the world and there is no real comparable I can think of at Michigan. He's not at all BJ Askew-sized, he should be more than a Dudley-esque thumper, he's more likely to beat a linebacker on a wheel than Hopkins, and Aaron Shea is all wrong, too. (Also I'm saving Shea for Khalid Hill.) I thought about Brandon Minor, who's about the same size, but "great forward lean" and Brandon Minor are diametrically opposed concepts.

I do remember a squat, thick dude who went up the middle over and over again at Michigan Stadium a few years back… it's just that he was playing for Utah. Matt Asiata was a crunching FB/RB for the Utes and gashed Michigan for almost six yards a carry in that 2008 game just by running through tackles. I thought it was a little dubious to pull him up since I remember him being enormous, but apparently he was 5'11", 220. If Houma ends up contributing at a max level for M it'll be as a short-yardage, grinding change of pace back and thumping blocker, like Asiata.

If we really want to get crazy with the whole Whipsaw Offense thing, Asiata saw a ton of his carries as a wildcat QB.

Guru Reliability:  Moderate. Agreement, but fullback from Utah.

Variance: Moderate. Realistically will be a role player, but has pretty-important-role-player upside.

Ceiling:  Low-plus. Role player of some variety, possibly important

General Excitement Level: Low-plus. Fullback, but a guy who they recruited to do more than dump truck people. While I generally hate fullback offers I can understand this one as part of Michigan assembling a Swiss Army Knife roster for Borges to do diabolical things with.

Projection: With Hopkins and redshirt freshman Joe Kerridge around, a redshirt beckons. After that it's another year behind Hopkins before sort of battling for the job as a redshirt sophomore. I say "sort of" because there's probably two slightly different roles for fullbacks in the new Michigan offense, one a traditional walk-on cruncher who leaves "two inches shorter than they came in" as Brady Hoke requested on Signing Day, the other more of a Shea/Havili/Asiata versatile H-back type who can take on a linebacker in the hole or flare out, etc. He's likely to play 15-30% of Michigan's snaps for his final three years, may end up a short yardage back, and will be a redzone option on play action.

Comments

Callahan

August 23rd, 2012 at 11:17 AM ^

Jarrod Bunch was probably the best FB of the modern era. Let's say Houme reminds everybody of Bunch.

Jon Ritchie was good too, but mostly for Stanford. 

a2_electricboogaloo

August 23rd, 2012 at 11:21 AM ^

I have to disagree with the excitement level.

THE_KNOWLEDGE stated he was the most important commitment in the class, which has given him a buzz which 'Massive'.  I'd say it's roughly 'Galactic' at this moment, mostly becuase I can't think of a grander adjective than that.

Maize.Blue Wagner

August 23rd, 2012 at 11:22 AM ^

So if the offense is a Swiss Army knife (which I think is a pretty good illustration), does that mean Al Borges is MacGyver? If so, someone needs to do some photoshopping and combine the two hairstyles. 

DonAZ

August 23rd, 2012 at 11:27 AM ^

If a fan has to pick one player to focus on, Houma is it for me.  Can't explain it.  Ever since his commitment there's just been something about his story that I find compelling to keep an eye on.

uofmUT

August 23rd, 2012 at 11:39 AM ^

Being from Utah and having friends who are Polynesian I can tell you that almost no one can touch their toughness. For that reason alone I think he fits in perfectly in a Brady Hoke Michigan team.

david from wyoming

August 23rd, 2012 at 11:45 AM ^

Isn't that kinda racist? Not every single Polynesian is the toughest kind of tough. To say it another way, fill in the blanks below.

Being from (region with minority) and having friends who are (that minority) I can tell you that almost no one can touch their (general characteristic).

JMK

August 23rd, 2012 at 12:00 PM ^

You must not have watched much professional wrestling in the 1980s, from which I learned that Polynesians have the hardest heads and the hardest feet in the world.  Their feet were so hard, in fact, that a barefoot kick from a Polynesian was infinitely more devastating than a kick from a shod white guy.  Also, Polynesians may excel at jumping off the top rope.Therefore, we should expect that Houma will play with no helmet and no shoes (take that Denard!), and may or may not specialize in going over the top on the goal line.

DonAZ

August 23rd, 2012 at 12:05 PM ^

Ever been to Sweden?  Swedes are tall people.  Just a fact.  Not every Swede is tall, but enough are that the claim that "Swedes are tall people" is a correct observation.  Not "racist."

Plus, last time I heard, "toughness" was a positive attribute, particularly for football.

WolvinLA2

August 23rd, 2012 at 4:21 PM ^

I'm going with "no" on the racism here.  Lots of cultures have characteristics that they emphasize or encourage in one way or another.  Example from my personal life (I married into a Latin family):

Being from (Los Angeles) and having friends(family) who are (Hispanic) I can tell you that almost no one can touch their (dancing).  You could also use "cooking" or "ability/desire to eat spicy food" or probably a handful of other things.  These are cultural things.  You can't go to a Latin party without music and dancing - it could be a graduation party in the afternoon or a 4 year old birthday party - but there will be salsa music and everyone from 2 to 92 will be dancing.   

My statement is pretty analogous to the one above, and neither are racist. 

TheTruth41

August 23rd, 2012 at 11:43 AM ^

If some of those WR would throw a block downfield or at least get in someone's way to spring him for a TD.  Seemed like in a lot of plays the last guy made the tackle and he could have been taken care of had his teammates just altered the defender's path to him.

Kid runs hard and drags the pile.

Seth

August 23rd, 2012 at 11:49 AM ^

Bunch is the closest comparison I came up with:

 

No. Name Pos. Year Letter Class Hgt. Wgt. Hometown State High School
39 Bunch, Jarrod TB 1986 _ Fr. 6-2 214 Ashtabula OH Ashtabula
32 Bunch, Jarrod RB 1987 v So. 6-2 227 Ashtabula OH Ashtabula
32 Bunch, Jarrod RB 1988 v Jr. 6-2 240 Ashtabula OH Ashtabula
32 Bunch, Jarrod FB 1989 v Sr. 6-2 236 Ashtabula OH Ashtabula
32 Bunch, Jarrod FB 1990 v Sr. 6-2 247 Ashtabula OH Ashtabula


Shawn Thompson is a comparable but he wasn't much of a runner. Bunch had the same burst out of a FB dive play and that made the middle of Michigan's offense a constant threat.

Now think back on that play we ran so much at the beginning of the season when Smith would line up as an I-back and then motioned out to receiver, leaving the FB in place. I'm pretty sure Denard's fumble recovery TD was a play just like that. That is a staple play of Borge's offense -- the dive, not the formation or motion which were things to match the talent on hand -- and that's what Houma is coming in to do.

M-Wolverine

August 23rd, 2012 at 1:38 PM ^

Where the soft serve ice comes out of an ice cream dispenser shaped like a face and unfortunately comes out of the nose?  That's what I thought of when you said he transforms into a Dairy Queen.

Though he wouldn't be the first...

 

Mmmm, ice cream.

Blue boy johnson

August 23rd, 2012 at 2:32 PM ^

Of course Houma is the second coming of 1978 team captain Russell Davis, except with better hands, and not as much rushing ability. I don't recall this, but according to the stats Russell Davis gained over 1000 yards in 1977.

Also Davis went from 6'2'' as a freshman to 6'1'' as a senior, so Hoke would be loving that.

Russell Davis:

  _ Davis, Russell TB 1975 v Fr. 6-2 215 Woodbridge VA Woodbridge
  33 Davis, Russell FB 1976 v So. 6-2 215 Woodbridge VA Woodbridge
  33 Davis, Russell FB 1977 v Jr. 6-1 220 Woodbridge VA Woodbridge
  33 Davis, Russell FB 1978 v Sr. 6-1 215 Woodbridge VA Woodbridge

 

Year School Conf Class Pos Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds Avg TD Plays Yds Avg TD
1975 Michigan Big Ten   RB 40 179 4.5 2 0 0   0 40 179 4.5 2
1976 Michigan Big Ten   RB 105 596 5.7 5 2 27 13.5 1 107 623 5.8 6
1977 Michigan Big Ten   RB 225 1092 4.9 8 15 174 11.6 1 240 1266 5.3 9
1978 Michigan Big Ten   RB 153 683 4.5 3 4 25 6.3 0 157 708 4.5 3
Career Michigan       523 2550 4.9 18 21 226 10.8 2 544 2776 5.1 20

Russell Davis

http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/russell-davis-1.html

http://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fbcapt/1978cap1.htm

http://141.211.39.65/allroster/FMPro

UofM626

August 23rd, 2012 at 2:39 PM ^

This kid could be a Diamond in the Ruff. He is going to run people over IMO, one yr to redshirt and bulk up and work on conditioning and he easily could be a change of pace RB we've been looking for to wear toesms down. I like this kid alot