'That's a big win for Josh Heupel' - Tennessee Vols make waves across college football to close the month of July

The Tennessee Vols made a huge recruiting splash on Thursday afternoon.

2026 five-star athlete Salesi Moa announced his commitment to Tennessee on Thursday, choosing the Volunteers over Utah, Michigan, Michigan State, and Washington.

Moa, 6-foot-2/190 lbs from Ogden, UT, is rated in 247Sports' composite rankings as the No. 2 athlete in the nation and the No. 1 player in the state of Utah. He's also rated as the No. 31 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class.

Landing Moa over Utah is particularly impressive for Tennessee. Moa isn't just from Utah -- his dad played for the Utes.

"I know I can play there and, once I got the opportunity from Tennessee, I kind of kept telling myself that I didn't want to pass up that opportunity," said Moa of picking Tennessee over Utah. "It was definitely hard, especially with all the relationships I have at Utah. I love the coaches there and I know a lot of the players. My dad played there. It's hard not going there, but I'm excited for this next chapter."

Moa can play wide receiver or defensive back, though he's expected to start on the offensive side of the ball for the Vols.

"He can play receiver and he can play safety at an elite level," said CBS Sports' Brandon Huffman. "Again, we're not saying he's going to be the next Travis Hunter, but if there's somebody in this class that could really do each side of the ball at an elite level, it is Salesi. We've see him for the last couple of years shine on the seven-on-seven circuit on both sides of the ball.

"But he'll be playing receiver to start out at Tennessee. Josh Heupel did tell him there will be some defensive packages there. But to get a player of his positional versatility from a state like Utah, which has been cranking out some top talent in recent years, that's a big win for Josh Heupel -- especially beating some of the schools they did head to head."

Tennessee now has 23 commits to its 2026 recruiting class, which is currently ranked No. 9 in the nation (via 247Sports).