New 5-star Tennessee commit had an incredible reason for picking the Vols

Earlier today, Tennessee pulled off arguably the biggest shocker of this recruiting cycle when they received a pledge from 5-star athlete Salesi Moa over Utah and several others.

From the start, Tennessee was facing an uphill battle for Moa. He is the number one prospect in Utah and the pull to stay home and play for the Utes was strong. They also had to fight off family ties that Moa had to Michigan State, where his brother is a linebacker. 

For Moa, the SEC spotlight was too big to ignore

It was never about what Tennessee couldn't do for Moa. It was always about what the Volunteers could offer - the chance to play in the SEC on the biggest stage in college football. Moa is an elite prospect - one of the best in the nation - and the idea of playing for the best conference in the nation was something the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder from Ogden, Utah could not pass up.

These are the things that the NIL agreements can't buy. There's no doubt that Utah put together a strong financial package for Moa and the Utes staff did everything they could to keep the top guy in the state at home. But they couldn't offer him the atmosphere he'll see on September 13 when the Georgia Bulldogs come to Knoxville and face over 100,000 people in a sea of orange.

Moa wants the smoke, he wants the spotlight, he wants the challenge of carrying the Vols to victory over Alabama in the third week of October or beating the Gators in the Swamp. 

The two-way athlete also wants to play offense. He sees what kind of numbers wide receivers can put up in Josh Heupel's offense. Moa is an explosive player that has the ability to take it to the house on any play. Heupel's plan to play him on offense early and eventually add defensive packages for him was a big selling point. 

Moa's commitment gives the Vols a third composite 5-star prospect in this class and moves them into the top 10 of the overall rankings. There's no doubt that today is a great day to be a Vol!