The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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assistance for tasks that most people take for granted — things as simple as eating. With a major responsibility at home, it may come as a surprise that Mone would travel halfway across the country from Salt Lake City to Ann Arbor to play his college ball. However, he's ready to grow up, and do what it takes to help provide for his entire family down the road. "He treated everybody like they were family," High School football coach Brody Benson said. "I think that extends from how close he is with his own family, and the sacri- fices he made for his brother. It's a huge undertaking for both he and his sister with what they've done for him. It's awesome that he's done that for his family." Mone has already enrolled at Michigan, and since leaving Salt Lake City, has had to adjust to a less hands-on role in his family's day-to- day life. Still, he keeps in close con- tact with everyone back home. "I miss them big time, of course I miss that," Mone said. "It's pretty tough, but I FaceTime them every few days. I talk to my parents and my whole family. They're doing well. I try not to worry about that, but we're just praying for better days." For someone so family oriented, it helped that there was a little piece of home already in Ann Arbor when Mone arrived. Fullback Sione Houma graduated from Highland in the 2012 class, and played two years with Mone in high school. The two were extremely close from their Tongan community in Salt Lake City, and Houma is showing his younger "Toko" (brother) the ropes in his new hometown. "I think it's always nice to have Sione, and he said that he's been leaning on him a lot," Benson said. "I know that Sione does a good job of showing him what to do and how to do it. "Sione helped big time," Mone chimed in. "He and all of the boys have been great. I know his friends, and his friends are now my friends. Most of these guys are my brothers already." Mone has only been in Michigan since January, but it's already start- ing to feel like home to him. Mone's father, Havili, is a minister in Utah, and Bryan's Christian faith is a very important part of his life. In addition to making plenty of friends, he's also joined Athletes in Action, a campus group for Christian athletes to em- bark on community service projects. Mone took a trip to Chicago with AIA early in his time in Ann Arbor, and it made him realize just how comfortable he'd already become in his new home. "The first two weeks, I was home- sick big time," he explained. "I talked to the coaches, and they made me feel much better about it. Now when I leave Michigan, I'm homesick to be here. I went to Chicago, and I was homesick to come back to Michigan." Mone cites the personal relation- ships he was able to build with the Michigan coaching staff as a big part of why U-M was the choice for him, and that has borne itself out so far during his time in Ann Arbor. He is