Today, we continue the countdown to Cal Football, now 99 days away, with a look at someone who's going to play a bigger role for Cal football. That someone is number 99, nose guard Siulagisipai Fuimaono.
Background
Height and Weight: 6'4" and 305 lbs.
Year: Redshirt Sophomore
High School/Hometown: Kadena HS/Okinawa, Japan
Name Pronounciation: (see-OO-la-ngi-see-pah-eee fu-EEE-mah-own-go)
Fuimaono came to the Bears as a late addition in the class of 2017, signing with the Bears on May 12th of 2017 after visiting for the spring game. Fuimaono looked almost out of place in his high school film, being bigger than everyone on the field, and faster than most of them too. He'd moved to Okinawa in middle school after his dad got a job there.
"I was born in Fort Lewis, Washington, and moved around a little before eventually settling in Sierra Vista, Arizona, where (my dad) retired." Fuimaono told GoldenBearReport in 2017. "My dad got a job in Okinawa and I moved here at the end of seventh grade, and (we) have been here ever since. I'm pretty happy that I played out here, all the lessons I learned and bonds that I've made have really been life changing, things that I will never forget."
Cal found him through a camp meant to get collegiate exposure for players in Okinawa, setting up an official visit to the states not long afterward, then sealing the deal and signing Fuimaono.
Fuimaono redshirted in 2017 before earning playing time in 2018. He played in 12 games in 2018 with one start against USC, 135 total reps per Pro Football Focus. He recorded 8 tackles, 1 pass breakup (against Stanford), and a fumble recovery (also against Stanford).
His Role Going into 2019
This is an important year for Fuimaono, whether he can step into the nose guard role he's been groomed for. He ran with the first team at the position for most of the spring after playing defensive end for the Bears in 2018.
"Siu, this was a big spring for him," Justin Wilcox said post-spring, "I think he’s better, but we’ve still got to continue to push him. We’ve got to find (a nose), Chris Palmer had a big role for us, he didn’t have a ton of stats but he had a significant role for us, and Siu’s a guy (who can be in that spot)."
Cal doesn't run as much base 3-4 due to their competition often being pass heavy, but Fuimaono provides a little more versatility for the Bears. He's big enough to play the nose, but quick enough to bump out to a 1 technique or 3 technique if the Bears want bigger bodies up front in their nickel. He's also a bit longer than the guy he's replacing in Chris Palmer, and if he can replicate some of the success Palmer had in knocking passes down at the line (6 PBUs in 2018), then that helps the defense all that much more.
Two years of work have done a lot for Fuimaono. In the fall of 2017 while watching practice, Fuimaono looked tentative in his strikes when the line worked on the bags. Last fall, he started to get it, which led to playing time. \
This spring, the transformation is clearer, he plays lower, he's more confident in his strikes, which is why he's with that first group. He spent a lot of time around Rusty Becker a year ago, someone who worked with the younger guys on striking after practice.
Now, it's up to Fuimaono to make another jump. Chris Palmer was one of the unsung heroes of a defense that allowed 3.6 yards per carry a year ago, and Fuimaono has to be able to replicate some of those space eating qualities in order to keep the Cal defense at a high level.
