Sione Vaki (born July 30, 2001) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

running back for the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

of the National Football League (NFL). He played

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for the Utah Utes as a two-way player. Vaki was selected by the Lions in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft.

Early life and high school

Vaki attended Liberty High School in

Brentwood, California Brentwood is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. It is located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population is 66,854 as of 2022, an increase of 287% from 23,302 at the 2000 census. Brentwood began ...

. In Vaki's high school career he played on both sides of the ball. On offense he rushed for 401 yards and seven touchdowns, while also bringing in 107 receptions for 2,203 yards and 32 touchdowns. On defense he notched 142 tackles with one being for a loss, five interceptions, four fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles, and two defensive touchdowns, Vaki also returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Vaki committed to play

at the University of Utah.

College career

In Vaki's true freshman season in 2022 he totalled 41 tackles with 3.5 going for a loss, three pass deflections, and a forced fumble. In week one of the 2023 season, he recorded his first career interception versus the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...

. In week seven, Vaki had a breakout game where he played both ways of the ball as he rushed 15 times for 158 yards and two touchdown to help the Utes beat California. In the following week, he rushed nine times for 68 yards, while also hauling in five receptions for 149 yards and two touchdowns, while also notching two tackles and having the best coverage grade on the Utes, as helped them upset

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

34-32. The rest of the season, the Utes formulated a plan to use Vaki more on offense. As a sophomore, Vaki finished the season with 51 tackles, 8.5 tackles for a loss, two sacks and two interceptions on defense. On offense he had 317 yards rushing (7.5 yards per carry) and two rushing touchdowns. As well as 11 receptions for 203 yards and three receiving touchdowns. He was voted to the first-team All-Pac-12 team twice in 2023, both as a safety and a special teams/all-purpose player. Following the 2023 season, Vaki declared for the 2024 NFL draft after playing two seasons of college football, as he went on a three year mission trip following his high school graduation.

Professional career

Vaki was selected in the fourth round, 132nd overall, by the

in the 2024 NFL draft.

Personal life

Vaki lost his mother Oto’ota due to cancer.

References

External links

Detroit Lions bioUtah Utes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaki, Sione Living people Players of American football from Contra Costa County, California American football running backs American football safeties Utah Utes football players Detroit Lions players 2001 births Pacific Islander American players of American football