Top 25 Most Important Michigan Players in 2026: No. 22 Salesi Moa Can Provide Instant-Impact

As the days roll on in July, we continue with our 'Most Important Players' series. The staff at Michigan Wolverines on SI voted for the 25 most important players for the Wolverines' success this season.

Coming in at No. 22 is five-star wide receiver Salesi Moa.

Moa's high school profile

Salesi Moa was one of the most coveted prospects in the 2026 recruiting class. Michigan made a run for him, but the Ogden (UT) Fremont athlete ultimately picked Utah, and signed with the Utes. But that was all before Kyle Whittingham left for Michigan.

Once Whittingham was hired by the Wolverines and offensive coordinator Jason Beck and wide receivers coach Micah Simon came to Michigan, Moa was released from his LOI with Utah and Moa committed to the Wolverines during the Polynesian Bowl.

According to Rivals, Moa was ranked as the No. 30 player in the 2026 class.

Why Moa is important for Michigan's 2026 success

Heading into the season, Moa has the ability to play both ways, but the five-star prospect wanted to play wide receiver, and that's where he's at. The Wolverines, as a team, dropped 28 passes last season and Michigan needed help at wide receiver.

Michigan brought in two transfers and two true freshmen — including Moa — who should make an impact this season. During the Wolverines' spring game, Moa made an impressive one-handed catch.

Salesi Moa at Michigan — Salesi Moa's X Account

“He’s going to be an exciting player, a special player,” Micah Simon said about Moa this spring. “There are a lot of things he does that are just natural. Sometimes, I don’t think he realizes what he does on the field. Sometimes, things are so smooth for him.

“He will be able to bring a lot of different ability, moving him around from outside, inside. Excited to see his growth and development over the summer and fall camp. Yeah, he’ll definitely see the field this year.”

Moa is quick and at 6'2", he is rangy and make contested catches, as we've seen. Following the spring game, Kyle Whittingham said that Andrew Marsh and JJ Buchanan were the top two players on the depth chart and the other spots needed to be filled. But you can make a good, educated guess that both Moa and Jaime Ffrench will be No. 3 and No. 4.

One prediction for Moa in 2026

There are still a lot of unknowns surrounding Jason Beck's offense and how it's going to work at Michigan. But what we do know is that the Wolverines are going to have three or four wide receivers on the field at once. Bryce Underwood is going to throw the football more this season, and he will have more options.

In theory, the ball is going to be spread around. Look for Moa to have the fourth-most receiving yards this season, behind Andrew Marsh, JJ Buchanan, and Jaime Ffrench. But Moa will show his out-of-this-world potential more than a few times.

See our full top 25 players:

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