Salesi Moa made college football history when he entered the transfer portal earlier this week. The former Utah enrollee packed his bag and left Salt Lake City less than two months after he committed to the university on the first day of the Early Signing Period.
Mark Harlan is equally as frustrated as baffled.
One of the top college football players in the transfer portal is a senior in high school. That’s a new one!
Salesi Moa will announce his transfer portal destination at the Polynesian Bowl.
At 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, Moa ranks as the No. 76 overall player in the recruiting Class of 2026. He could play either defensive back or wide receiver on the next level as the fifth-ranked “athlete” in the country.
It depends on where he ends up.
Moa committed to the University of Utah on the fourth of December and signed his financial agreement shortly thereafter. Not only that, the top-ranked prospect in the state of Utah actually enrolled at the university for classes on the fifth of the new year. He was on campus as a student for five days— from Jan. 5-9. We’re talking physically in the classroom, reading the syllabus, taking notes, etc.
This was not just a verbal commitment. Nor was it a situation where an incoming freshman moved to Salt Lake City early to start working out in the team facility before the start of the new semester.
Salesi Moa was fully enrolled as a full-time student at the University of Utah.
And then he entered the transfer portal. Moa, who signed with the Utes less than 40 days prior, left the Beehive State with plans to reconsider his options.
A return to Utah is not out of the equation but he entered the portal with a ‘Do Not Contact’ tag, which typically alludes to a predetermined destination.
In this specific instance, it looks like Michigan is now in the lead. Moa has familial ties to former Utah defensive assistant Lewis Powell, who joined former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham in Ann Arbor. Tennessee is the other school in the mix. Moa initially committed to play for the Vols back in August.
Utah athletic director Mark Harlan is baffled by the state of college football.
Salesi Moa is caught in a very unusual situation. The four-star recruit is no longer enrolled in classes. Most other schools have a final enrollment deadline of late January so he must very soon make a decision and get to where he needs to be.
In the meantime, Moa is currently in Honolulu to play in the Polynesian Bowl. The former Utah enrollee-turned-transfer portal commodity will announce his second commitment in less than two months during the exhibition showcase.
It is the first time ever that a “transfer” will announce his commitment at the Polynesian Bowl.
Utah athletic director Mark Harlan can’t believe it. He is still trying to comprehend what just happened.
“Well, he was with us in class for a (last)week. Public announcement…seen it all now( probably not),” Harlan wrote on X.
This entire saga could end up being even crazier if Salesi Moa decides to return to Utah after he committed to Utah, enrolled at Utah, unenrolled at Utah and entered the transfer portal. Seems unlikely.