There’s a theme of newness in the air for the Michigan football program. An almost completely new coaching staff, new transfers to plug holes in the roster, and some true freshmen who could make an immediate impact.
One of those true freshmen is Salesi Moa, a highly-rated four-star recruit from Utah who, at one point, didn’t seem like someone who would be on the roster at all. Now, he has a chance to get plenty of playing time. Here’s a look at his journey to Michigan and what fans should expect in 2026.
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The story so far
The recruitment process for Moa was a bit of a wild ride. He had long been known as one of the best prospects in the 2026 class, finishing the cycle as the nation’s No. 42 overall player, No. 2 athlete and No. 1 player from Utah according to the 247Sports composite. Understandably, plenty of the nation’s top programs were looking to land his services.
Moa made two visits to Michigan in 2025, but he would commit to Tennessee in July. Later in the fall, it became apparent his commitment to the Volunteers wasn’t rock-solid, and he made his second visit to Michigan for the Ohio State game in late November. He’d decommit from Tennessee just a few days later.
Still, Michigan wasn’t able to seal the deal, as Moa committed to and signed with Kyle Whittingham and the close-to-home Utah Utes in December. That’s when things took a big turn, as Whittingham stepped down and was eventually hired at Michigan.
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Once the portal opened, a few of his former players joined him in Ann Arbor. Since Moa had already enrolled at Utah by then, he followed suit and finally made his pledge to Michigan, following Whittingham and his brother Aisea, a linebacker who also transferred in this offseason from Michigan State.
Moa immediately joined the program in January and stood out in spring practices, being considered one of the team’s top pass-catchers already and putting on a nice showing in the spring game.
Outlook for 2026
Heading into the season, the expectations are much higher for the Michigan offense than it was the last two seasons. A big reason for that is new offensive coordinator Jason Beck and a more spread-out scheme that should be more conducive to the wide receivers making plays. The group in 2026 is much deeper than it has been in recent years, and Moa is expected to play a sizable role in it.
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What that role is exactly is yet to be fully determined. During spring practices, Whittingham called him one of the team’s top four wide receivers back in March. That was backed up in the spring game when Moa was getting snaps with the starters.
There’s definitely optimism Moa will develop into a top-tier pass-catcher at the college level, but for right now, Michigan has the chance to use his existing skills in 2026. As a high school player, he showed that his strength is his ability to run after the catch and slip away from defenders, so he’ll likely be doing most of his damage out of the slot this season. He’ll probably be fourth in line for targets, but there’s hope he can grow that role as the season progresses.
Thanks to his speed and agility, it also wouldn’t be a surprise to see him used on special teams as one of Michigan’s punt or kick returners. This is a feasible way to get him involved, especially if he’s not getting a big share of the targets in the offense right away.
Additionally, Moa earned a reputation as a great defensive back, something that led many evaluators to believe he could be a two-way player. That certainly can’t be ruled out either, but it seems like his focus for 2026 will on offense.
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Regardless of how he’s used, Michigan did well to land an athlete of Moa’s caliber this offseason. He should be able to immediately provide a nice dose of explosiveness to the offense, with some optimism he can become an even bigger part of the game plan as his freshman year progresses.
