Tennessee back in the race after 4-star recruiting target delays commitment

Could four-star athlete Salesi Moa be having second thoughts? And is that a good thing for Tennessee?

Moa, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound two-way standout from Ogden, Utah, was expected to make his announcement over the weekend. Recent trends had the projected wide receiver or defensive back staying at home and pledging to the Utes.

But Moa has decided to delay his commitment and that puts Tennessee back in the picture. The Vols received Moa's final official visit on June 20 and sit among a group of schools that includes Michigan, Michigan State, Utah and Washington.

​Josh Heupel and staff put the hard press on Moa during his visit to Knoxville. The Vols could definitely use some more offensive skill in their 2026 recruiting class, but they made it clear to Moa that they are willing to give him some snaps on both sides of the ball.

"They want me to play offense first and then defense," Moa said to Blair Angulo of 247Sports. "They want to see what happens after I kind of acclimate to offense, they'll throw in some defensive packages. I want to play both ways, but I think I'm a receiver first, so I really like their plan."

Moa's delay gives Tennessee additional time to figure something out

There are a lot of things working in Tennessee's favor when it comes to the recruitment of Moa. They can offer him early playing time on offense and the Heupel scheme is one that's appealing to big, outside receivers. 

​But there are also some things that the staff will have to overcome. Utah is the in-state school and the Utes staff have obviously made Moa their top priority in the class. Moa's older brother, Aisea, transferred from BYU to Michigan State and is expected to be in the mix at linebacker for the Spartans this season. 

​This was expected to be a tough recruitment for Tennessee to win and the locational ties to Utah and family ties to Michigan State might be too much to overcome, but the Vols are still in the fight.