Michigan football's Salesi Moa: What ESPN says about his fit

[ASFN Admin]

Usually, when a top-rated recruit commits to a team, it's met with a ton of fanfare and excitement leading up to national signing day. However, one incoming Wolverine had a bit of a different path to Ann Arbor, and thus doesn't have nearly as much hype as he might have had otherwise.

Though considered a player who could play on either side of the ball, athlete Salesi Moa is thought to be likely to start his career at wide receiver. The athlete was highly sought after, with Michigan working after him in the previous regime. However, he committed to Kyle Whittingham and Utah, before enrolling in Salt Lake City, and ultimately transferring to Michigan during the portal window.

ESPN broke down the top wide receiver signees and shared its thoughts on how Moa should fit into the Wolverines' scheme.

Ranking: SC Next 300 No. 39

New offensive coordinator Jason Beck is very multiple with formations, shifts and motions, and Moa needs to carve out a role as a movable player in that West Coast/spread blend. He has good size but isn't a pure speedster, so he must keep growing his feel for zone coverage, timing on option routes and how to work underneath and intermediate areas on play-action concepts.

He has reliable hands, likes to compete and has also played defense, which shows up in his toughness as a blocker and willingness to mix it up on the perimeter -- a necessity given Michigan's physical identity. With solid returning depth and Texas transfer Jaime Ffrench arriving, Moa will have to battle to see the field early, but his versatility and toughness give him a path on special teams and multiple receiver groupings.

Moa could be deployed as a bit of a weapon, capable of handling all kinds of offensive roles. Given that he is a reliable blocker, he's the type of player who can remain on the field on both running and passing plays.

While it's good news that the Wolverines have one signee on the list, there is some insult to injury. Zion Robinson was a former commit who flipped to Stanford, and Brady Marchese was a signing day flip who ended up at Auburn during the coaching change. Calvin Russell was considered a Michigan lean before he ultimately committed to and signed with Syracuse.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football: Salesi Moa's fit with Wolverines

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