Michigan State football: Do the Spartans have a secret weapon at LB?

Michigan State football started the season strong last Friday, and the newest weapon at linebacker may have introduced himself.

Heading into the season, Michigan State football faced plenty of questions defensively. Of all position rooms under scrutiny, the last one that would come to mind was the linebacker room. Jordan Hall was primed to take his step into the spotlight, and Darius Snow and Wayne Matthews III provided excellent 1A and 1B options alongside Hall.

Combine that with Brady Pretzlaff, Marcellius Pulliam, and Semaj Bridgeman all making waves, and the three deep was loaded for the Spartans. Finally, the Spartans also added early enrollee DiMari Malone, surprise commit Leonard Ah You, and four-star freshman DeJae White. David Miliken, Sam Edwards, and Chris Piwowarczyk all factor into the special teams’ battles, as well.

After listing every name in the linebacker room, how could it be a question? Actually, dear readers, I lied to you. There is one more name in the linebacker room. He goes by the name Aisea Moa, but his teammates call him “Ice”. He is the secret weapon in this Michigan State football linebacker room.

The latest weapon to shine for Michigan State football

Aisea Moa transferred over from BYU, giving Joe Rossi another weapon in his linebacker room. Even during his visit, his younger brother Salesi stole some of the spotlight, with the borderline five-star receiving an offer.

Some players, such as starting defensive tackle Ben Roberts, took to X (formerly Twitter) to plead for Spartan Nation to run the numbers up on Aisea Moa’s offer post. Those two both hail from Utah, and were teammates in the 2022 Polynesian Bowl.

During the offseason, there was not a lot said about the elder Moa, with his role primarily being kept under wraps. On the season opener last Friday, Rossi revealed Moa’s role – the third down blitzing linebacker. Moa provided a spark against the Broncos, recording two quarterback hits, two quarterback hurries, and a tipped pass that was intercepted by Matthews III to give the Spartans a chance for a field goal before half. Moa did all of this in under 20 snaps on the field, by the way.

Fellow junior and captain Jordan Hall was asked about Moa during the week, and he had this to say about the latest single-digit wearing linebacker. He praised Moa’s motor, and his ability to get after the quarterback.

“He is great in the room, he is a guy that joined us in the beginning of this year. He’s a great dude that we love having in the room,” Hall said. “Good energy, always flying around, coming from BYU, he had some experience pass rushing. He’s been a great addition on third down, being able to get to the quarterback and change the picture for him.”

Against Boston College, the hope is that Moa can change the picture for Boston College starting quarterback Dylan Lonergan and the prolific Eagles’ passing offense.