2022 Countdown to Kickoff: 50 Days Part II (Sio Nofoagatoto'a)

Written by: Sammy Jacobs

#50

The Hoosier Huddle Countdown to Kickoff rolls on to day 50 and we are halfway through to Indiana kicking off against Illinois. Today, we feature two linemen from each side of the ball. The second part of day 50 is from the defense, Sio Nofoagatoto’a.

Sio Nofoagatoto’a (Senior)

Hometown: Ili'ili, American Samoa

Height: 6’3”

Weight: 313 Pounds

Position: Defensive Line

Nofoagatot’a is entering his fourth season with the Hoosiers after arriving in 2019 from American Samoa via Clearwater Academy in Florida. He has been a big part of the IU defense in his career playing in 30 games. He has 34 career tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. His role is about to get bigger for the Hoosiers, as IU lost some depth upfront in the offseason.

The expectation is for Nofoagatot’a is to probably start at defensive tackle or, at the very least, be a major rotation player. He will need to have a more productive year on the stat sheet, but if he can eat up blocks and provide pressure from the middle of the defense, he will allow IU’s back seven make plays.