UW Extends Scholarship Offer to 2026 SoCal Linebacker
Samu Moala receives a recruiting pitch from the University of Washington these days like no other football player. Come to Montlake, they say, and you will play against Michigan as a junior and Tennessee as a senior.
Moala is a middle linebacker for Leuzinger High School in Lawndale, California, and currently a teammate of Husky commit Kahlee Tafai, a 6-foot-6, 307-pound offensive tackle and the last of 19 pledges so far for Kalen DeBoer's latest class.
On Friday, the UW offered a scholarship to Moala, hoping an asteroid doesn't hit the planet by the time this kid is ready to play his college football because, as you know, a lot can happen way down the line.
Moala is a mature 6-foot-3, 235-pound freshman for a team that answers to the Olympians.
Yes, do the math, that's the Class of 2026.
That first-ever UW-Tennessee meeting will be played at the end of the decade ... in 2029.
In four games this fall, Moala has held his own in the middle, collecting 19 tackles, including 6 tackles for loss and 2 sacks, plus a pass break-up.
His recruiting is just beginning to take off. On Tuesday, he received his first offer from Utah. Now three days later, the Huskies decided they couldn't wait any longer in supplying him with a scholarship proposal.
The only downside to Moala's football world right now is Leuzinger, also known as The Leu, is off to a slow start this fall. The Olympians have lost their first four games by 9, 7, 10 and 24 points.
Moala is believed to be the first 2026 prospect to hold a UW offer.
The Huskies earlier offered future scholarships to a trio of 2025 players in tight end T'Andre Waverly from Kamiak High in Mukilteo, Washington; wide receiver LaMason Waller III of Sultana High in St. Hesperia, California; and another linebacker in Zach Thompson of Gilbert High in Gilbert, Arizona.
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