The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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2012 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE 6-0 • 215 • Fullback • Highland High School • Salt Lake City SIONE HOUMA ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ born on June 21, 1994, in West Val- ley, Utah … Sports a 4.5 40-yard dash and a 315-pound bench press … Three-year varsity letter winner … Older brother, Timote, is a junior rugby player at Utah … Younger brother Kiti is a sophomore foot- ball player and runner at Highland … Is the first Michigan scholarship football player to hail from Salt Lake City since linebacker Jeff Holtry (1994-98). Rankings: Ranked as a three-star Personal: Sione Vea Houma was prospect and the No. 5 fullback na- tionally by Rivals.com … Awarded three stars by 247Sports.com, and ranked as the No. 5 fullback in the country and the No. 9 player in Utah … Rated as a two-star recruit and the No. 4 fullback nationally by ESPN.com … Listed as the No. 33 prospect in the Midlands (Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Utah) by SuperPrep. Brady Hoke's Comments: "Within the offense, we really need to get ourselves some fullback-type bod- ies. He's an extremely strong, physi- cal guy." Tom Lemming of Prep Football Report: "He's a tough guy that is athletic and very productive. When I went to the Salt Lake City area, the coaches at Highland were really rav- ing about him. He's a team player and a leader, is very strong and does everything asked of him. He should be a good lead blocker." Career Totals: Appeared in 37 ca- overall, losing in the second round of the state playoffs … Rushed for 774 yards and nine touchdowns on 89 carries (8.7 yards per rush) with three 100-yard efforts … Caught nine balls for 22 yards … Recorded 16 tackles … Averaged 61.3 yards on three kickoff returns, including a 95- yard return for a touchdown … En- joyed a 204-yard, three-touchdown performance in a first-round playoff victory over Maple Mountain, scor- ing on runs of 71, 20 and 58 yards … Named to the ESPN All-Utah Foot- ball Team. cific Rim Stars … Attended Utah summer football camp in 2010. Other Sports: Ran track his first three years but will only practice, not enter competitions, this spring … Won a state title in the 4x100- meter relay at the 2011 Utah Class 4A state championships … Clocked a career-best 11.28 wind-aided 100-meter dash and 11.61 time with- out the wind in individual meets in 2011 … Owns a career-best 24.31 200-meter dash time … Holds the school record for the standing long jump track test, covering a distance Sione Huoma on choosing Michigan "A lot of people that grow up in Utah just stay in Utah and go to one of the colleges here, but I want to be different, explore and make a name for myself somewhere else, away from home." and played linebacker for a High- land High School team that went 7-4 reer games over three seasons, see- ing time at running back, fullback, linebacker and on special teams … Rushed for 1,026 yards and eight touchdowns in six career playoff games … Accounted for 1,838 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns on 224 career carries (8.2 yards per rush) with 11 receptions for 49 yards … Compiled 49 career tackles, two sacks and an interception … Pro- duced 342 yards and one touch- down on nine kickoff returns (38.0- yard average). Senior Season: Started at fullback ond on the depth chart, but eventu- ally took over at running back, start- ing six games and helping lead the team to a Class 4A state champion- ship and a 10-4 record … Also saw time at linebacker … Totaled 760 yards rushing and five touchdowns on 92 carries (8.3-yard average) in four state playoff games, including a 288-yard, two-touchdown effort in a 48-44 quarterfinal win over Pine View … Had 216 yards and three touchdowns, including 63- and 62- yard gallops, in a 46-21 semifinals win over Springville … Finished the season with 1,064 yards and seven scores on 135 attempts (7.9 yards per carry) … Had two receptions for 27 yards … Recorded 25 tackles, 1.5 sacks and an interception … Re- turned six kickoffs for an average of 26.5 yards per return, with a long of 55 yards … Selected first-team all- state by the Desert News. Sophomore Season: Played spe- Junior Season: Began the year sec- cial teams for an 8-4 Highland team that lost in the second round of the playoffs … Notched eight tackles. All-Star Games And Camps: Par- of 9-2 in 2011, and ranks second in the 40-yard dash with a time of 4.5 seconds. High School GPA: 3.0. Planned Major: Sociology. Favorite Michigan Athlete: De- nard Robinson. Favorite Pro Player: Baltimore Ra- vens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata. Other Schools Considered: Wash- ington and Utah. Date Of Official Visit To Michi- gan: Nov. 25, 2011. Why Houma Chose Michigan: "Their education. When I visited, they had everything organized and showed me a lot of majors that I was interested in, and how they'd help me be successful." Highland Head Coach Brody ticipated in the Gridiron University Prep Stars Classic All-Star Bowl Game Jan. 7, leading the Rocky Mountain Stars to a 26-8 victory over the Pa- Benson's Comments: "Right now, they're looking at him as a fullback, but they haven't said they won't use him as a single back in certain for- mations. He runs a 4.5, he's not slow, and he will get bigger and stronger. He has great hands, and a niftiness to his feet, so they can throw him the ball in the flat or surprise the defense with a quick handoff. He's a very good blocker, too. Like when he runs, he keeps his feet moving, and that's always key; he lowers his pad level and will really hit you." MARCH 2012 THE WOLVERINE 57