Utah football flips four-star Tennessee recruit's commitment

Turns out, the top-ranked high school recruit in the state of Utah will be starting his collegiate career in-state.

Roughly four months after making a somewhat surprising decision to commit to Tennessee, Fremont High School standout and four-star athlete prospect Salesi Moa has backed off his pledge to the Volunteers and will sign with the Utes instead.

According to Rivals' Greg Biggins, Moa will make it official and sign with Utah on Thursday.

“I’m staying home,” Moa told Rivals. “In the end, I felt like Utah was the place where I could build my legacy.

“I want to be legendary and I want my name cemented in the history of Utah football. This is my home, and this is where I’m writing my story.”

Moa, who previously chose Tennessee over Utah, Michigan, Michigan State and Washington on July 31, made his flip to the Utes official on the first day of the early signing period for the class of 2026. The 6-foot-2, 190 pound prospect initially held off on putting pen to paper as Utah and Michigan made final pushes for his services.

The Wolverines hosted Moa on a visit during the Nov. 29 weekend, coinciding with Michigan's 27-9 loss to Ohio State. Moa told 247Sports his stay in Ann Arbor was good, but that the plan was to stick with Tennessee.

That was before the Utes jumped back in the poll position of the recruiting race. Kyle Whittingham and company were projected by some recruiting services to land Moa's pledge in the — until he delayed his initial commitment date, opening the door for Tennessee to swoop in and snag the Ogden, Utah, native.

The Utes initially recruited Moa to help out on offense at wide receiver, per 247Sports, though he told Biggins recently that he'll play offense and line up at safety on defense. He was quite the two-way star during his senior year at Fremont, hauling in 16 TDs and over 1,200 receiving yards while recording 57 tackles, 3 interceptions and a defensive touchdown on defense.

Moa's versatility and athleticism earned him a four-star grade from 247Sports, which had him as the No. 76 prospect and the No. 5 "athlete" in the 2026 class in its most recent rankings. He was the third four-star recruit to sign with the Utes during the first day of the early signing period, joining offensive tackle recruits Kelvin Obot and Maatalii Benjamin.

Moa's athletic genes likely come from having a mixed martial artist as a father. Ben Moa, a former Utes standout, went on to fight in the UFC after his playing days in the NFL concluded. He posted a 5-2 record as a professional, then made a move to the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.

Moa's older brother, Aisea Moa, started his career at BYU before transferring to Michigan State. His other brother, Sione Moa, transferred to play for the Cougars in 2023 before making a move to UConn.