Michigan State has landed another transfer portal commitment. This one comes from from former Brigham Young University linebacker Aisea Moa.
Moa will have two years of eligibility remaining and is projected to play inside linebacker for the Spartans.
He visited East Lansing with his family on Thursday, Jan. 2 and Friday, Jan. 3.
"I absolutely loved it," Moa told Spartans Illustrated's Ryan O'Bleness after the visit. "Great people and staff, and I love East Lansing!"
This is not the first time Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith has made an effort to add Moa to his roster. While working at Oregon State, Smith and many members of the current MSU staff sent an offer to him back when Moa was a four-star prospect out of Weber High School in Utah in the class of 2022.
This time, Smith and company get him, and Moa has also built new relationships with Michigan State defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Joe Rossi and defensive analyst Andrew Bindelglass.
The 6-foot-2, 235-pound Moa appeared in all 12 of BYU’s regular season games in 2024, receiving a start in the Cougars’ regular-season finale against Houston. The North Ogden, Utah native made a total of 16 tackles, a forced fumble and half-tackle-for-loss.
In total, Moa played a total of 142 defensive snaps this past season, along with 67 on special teams. Pro Football Focus gave him a 72.2 overall defensive grade, along with a grade of 66.9 for his efforts on special teams.
In 2023, Moa appeared in three games and recorded one tackle. As a true freshman in 2022, Moa redshirted and did not see game action.
Moa is a needed addition to Michigan State’s linebackers room during this transfer cycle. The Spartans are losing captain Jordan Turner and longtime starter Cal Haladay from the 2024 roster, and have now added Moa to help out alongside returners Jordan Hall, Wayne Matthews III, Darius Snow, Brady Pretzlaff, Marcellius Pulliam, Semaj Bridgeman and others.
Moa now makes 14 total transfers added to MSU’s 2025 roster since the end of the 2024 campaign. He is the first inside linebacker transfer commit for MSU, and is the seventh portal pledge on the defensive side of the ball. The Spartans could still add a couple more transfers in the winter cycle, with other players who have visited East Lansing still on the board.
Moa's younger brother, Salesi Moa, is a four-star athlete in the 2026 class who recently received an offer from the Spartans. His older brother, Sione Moa, played linebacker for BYU from 2022 until 2024 before also entering the transfer portal in December of 2024. Their cousin, Sione I. Moa, also plays running back for the Cougars.
The portal has now closed for current, non-graduate Michigan State players, but more players from other teams could continue to trickle in, as their window gets extended for five days after a team’s bowl game or elimination from the College Football Playoff. Graduate transfers can also still enter the portal. Those already entered can stay in the portal until they find a new home. There will also be another 10-day window in the spring from April 16 through April 25.
To keep up with all of the Michigan State transfer portal activity, please view the Spartans Illustrated transfer portal tracker.
