Photo via @salesimoa8 on X.
Before ever playing a snap of college football, Salesi Moa is in the transfer portal, according to a report from Matt Zenitz. Moa was previously a verbal commit to Tennessee football before flipping and signing on signing day with his home-state school, Utah.
However, the Utes moved on from long-time head coach Kyle Whittingham this offseason. He is now at Michigan, another school that Moa considered, making that what is likely the immediate favorite for his pending commitment. Reports indicate that he has entered with a ‘do not contact’ tag, as well.
Moa is a legacy recruit for the Utes, with his father playing tight end for the program. He has a brother at UConn and another at Michigan State, which he also had in consideration.
Moa ranks as the No. 45 player in the country, according to 247 composite rankings. There was a period where he was a composite five-star on the service, but recent ranking refreshes have pushed him back to a consensus four-star rating.
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He is considered the No. 3 athlete in the country and the No. 1 player out of Utah. He was believed to be the first Tennessee player ever from Utah if he had stuck with his commitment. There was still a tie to the Vols, though. Josh Heupel began his playing career at Weber State, located in Moa’s hometown.
Moa is projected to play both sides of the ball at the next level. While he may start on just one side, he has shown the ability to be an elite wide receiver and defensive back. The Vols have tried to make this work with both Dee Williams and Boo Carter, but Williams’ switch was in the middle of the season, and Carter had issues off the playing field that put a halt to those plans.
“Productive two-way athlete with slick athleticism that could play on either side of the ball in college, but might make the most sense at wide receiver,” 247‘s Andrew Ivins wrote. “Frequently finds ways to slip behind defenders and race into the deeper third as he’s a technically advanced route runner that can mix gears and create separation. Shifty and elusive after the catch with his agility and vision, but probably lacks a true breakaway gear at this stage. Constantly plays with a chip on his shoulder and doesn’t lack physicality as he hits people on defense and tries to move people as a perimeter blocker on offense. Might be trending towards being a pass catcher on Saturdays, but displays favorable football IQ at safety as he constantly puts himself in position to make plays.”
Tennessee still signed a great class without Moa in the boat. The Vols’ group ranked top-five in the country for the cycle on 247.
