Former Utah offensive lineman Simi Moala has transferred to BYU, according to an interview on ESPN 960 with Ben Criddle.
“I will be part of the team this year. I kind of took a year off, maybe half a year, tried to focus on family and myself, just thinking about if I really want to do it again,” Moala said. “I just appreciate coach Kalani (Sitake) for reaching back out and calling me. That’s what made me really come back.”
Moala said he is enrolled at BYU and is doing summer lifting with the team.
An offensive tackle, Moala played in every game for Utah during the 2019 and 2020 seasons, starting 12 of 14 games in 2019 before starting every game in 2020.
In the 2021 season, Moala started two games at right tackle, then left the university around September before officially entering the transfer portal in October of that year.
Braeden Daniels took over the right tackle job for the rest of the season.
“I entered the transfer portal. I started to have kids at Utah, got married, was going through some mental health problems. I felt like I needed time to get away. There was no beef between me and the university, I just felt like I needed to step away and fix myself. I felt like when I did do that, I benefited a lot,” Moala said.
In February 2022, FCS school Jackson State — then coached by Deion Sanders — announced that Moala had signed. He participated during spring ball, but he ended up taking the season off after the birth of his daughter.