Rivals.com 24/7Sports O3n INSIDE LINEBACKER •6'3" | 200 LBS CLASS OF 2026 @ LEUZINGER | LAWNDALE, CA Ohio State has offered.
Ohio state offered!Thank you @CoachJimKnowles @OhioStateFB for this opportunity to further my education and dreams! @GregBiggins @adamgorney @BManu86 @recruitcoachmc @Leuzinger_FB #AG2G pic.twitter.com/LsISLKVLri— Samu Moala (@SamuMoala) April 24, 2023
Ohio State has offered its first linebacker of the 2026 class. On Monday, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles extended an offer to California prospect Samu Moala, intrigued by the 6-foot-3, 230-pound standout’s versatility. “It felt great,” Moala told Eleven Warriors of Ohio State's offer. “I always watched them since I was a kid. They were always a top team and a fun team to watch. Coach Jim Knowles offered me, he just talked to my coaches first and then we had a brief conversation about how I play both positions defensive end and linebacker, and then he offered me.” In his freshman season at Leuzinger High School (Lawndale, California), Moala racked up 45 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, five sacks, 12 quarterback hurries and one pass deflection. Moala also caught three passes for 72 yards with one touchdown on offense. “My best ability on the field as a player is probably how I can play multiple positions at a high level and just my awareness of the game,” Moala said. “The biggest factor for me in recruiting is probably just building a good relationship with coaches because I wanna go somewhere where I feel like it’s family.” To this point, Moala has picked up 13 Division I offers, including Arizona, Auburn, BYU, Colorado, Georgia, Oregon, Oregon State, Tennessee, USC, Utah, Washington and Washington State. He considers the Buckeyes one of his top offers in his recruitment. “OSU is by far one of my favorite offers because I know a lot of top defensive players that went there and went first round in the NFL Draft,” Moala said. “The most appealing thing if I played at OSU is probably just the atmosphere of the fans and all the noise because I know OSU has die-hard fans and I just like all the excitement. It gets me hyped.” Moala said he “most definitely” plans to visit Ohio State sometime next year after his sophomore season.
Check out Freshman Season Highlights by Samu Moala on @hudl https://t.co/VdMXSCa1Rv #hudl— OSUBasketballJunkie (@ScarletBuckeye2) April 28, 2023
Michigan State offered already highly-coveted 2026 linebacker @SamuMoala in late April."It was mixed emotions of happiness and hunger," Moala said about the offer. "To get an offer by Michigan State, it’s a blessing. They're a top team in the Big Ten!"https://t.co/EIhsYnHTqs— Ryan O'Bleness (@ryanobleness) May 20, 2023