Michigan State football: Transfer LB target Aisea Moa talks MSU visit

With the new year broken in, and the “dead period” for transfer portal recruiting officially over, the visits are back for players looking at East Lansing as their next home. Former BYU linebacker Aisea Moa is one of those players looking for a change in scenery. After his visit with Michigan State football Friday, Moa was gracious enough to talk about his visit with me.

Info on Aisea Moa, and a visit update

Moa is a redshirt sophomore linebacker from BYU with 17 games and one start under his belt. In under 150 snaps played last season, Moa was all over the field, with a forced fumble, half a tackle for loss, and 14 tackles on the season. Additionally, he had seven total quarterback pressures, via PFF, being split with four QB hits and three QB pressures. Those numbers, alongside his 84.2 coverage grade in under 50 snaps, implied Moa was a breakout candidate for next season.

When he hit the portal, Jonathan Smith and Michigan State football were some of the first to offer, and he quickly locked in a visit with them. Current Spartan defensive tackle Ben Roberts was enthusiastic about this news, pleading with the MSU faithful to wish the best for Moa. Those two had each played their high school ball in the state of Utah and were teammates in the 2022 Polynesian Bowl.

On Friday, Moa shared pictures of his visit, donning the No. 8 “Shadows” jersey. I reached out to ask him about the visit, and he shared this with me:

pic.twitter.com/Aw0zWSu8OL

— Aisea Moa (@aiseamoa_8) January 3, 2025

“It (the visit) was awesome! Loved East Lansing! Great people and great coaches over here for sure!”

Now, I do not think I am reading into this too much when I say that I am confident the visit went well. Hopefully, the Spartans left enough of an impression that they can secure the talented linebacker’s services for the next two seasons.

Speaking of making an impression…

On the lines of a memorable visit, the Spartans had one last family surprise ready: they offered Aisea’s brother, Salesi Moa, a scholarship. The younger Moa is one of the most coveted recruits in the 2026 class, currently ranking inside the top 40 for overall prospects in the 2026 high school class. The DB/WR athlete was quick to post his offer, with older brother Aisea promptly retweeting it.

spartans !! https://t.co/QSclMNSMSr

— Aisea Moa (@aiseamoa_8) January 3, 2025

If the Spartans can land both Moa brothers, it will be a taste of home again for Aisea in 2026. His brother Sione played alongside Aisea at BYU last year.

I would like to thank Aisea Moa for taking the time to reply to me, and all of us at Spartan Shadows wish him the best in his recruitment. Selfishly, I hope that he will be joining the Spartans for next fall.