The BYU Cougars will kick off the 2026 season in 30 days against Utah Tech. As we count down the days until kickoff, today we will profile the player who wears No. 30 - redshirt sophomore running back Sione Moa.
Sione Moa's background
While the recruiting profiles of most players on BYU's roster these days fall somewhere between a solid three-star to a four-star talent, Sione Moa bucks that trend. After prepping at Timpview High School in the shadows of BYU, Moa was still a "zero star" recruit at 247 Sports in the class of 2020, not even worthy of a two-star designation.
And BYU's coaching staff seemed to agree.
After serving a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the 5-foot-10, 220-pound bowling ball walked on at BYU. He didn't even have a scholarship when he joined the Cougars, but just a few years later he would become one of the more important players on a team with designs on the College Football Playoffs.
Moa's past and present with BYU
Despite his walk-on status, Sione had a quick start to his BYU career.
In his 2024 freshman campaign he appeared in 11 games with 29 carries for 144 yards and three touchdowns, averaging an impressive 5.0 yards per carry. He's also a dynamic receiver out of the backfield and hauled in five receptions for 38 yards.
His breakout game during his freshman season came against Kansas State when he had 15 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown. He also had three receptions for 17 yards in a Cougars blowout win.
While he only registered eight carries over the next seven games following his impressive Kansas State performance, he proved in 2024 that he had what it took to become a featured player in BYU's offense.
He entered last year as BYU's backup running back to LJ Martin and was expected to carry a heavy load. Instead, he suffered a leg injury early in the season against East Carolina and developed compartment syndrome. In a scary medical issue, Moa nearly lost his leg. You can read the details here at the Deseret News, but it was a scary situation.
He returned last year in the Big 12 conference championship game against Texas Tech but reinjured himself and ended up sitting out the Pop Tarts Bowl.
Now healthy, Sione Moa will be the Robin to LJ Martin's Batman. Martin, the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, has an outside chance to break BYU's all-time rushing record. Quarterback Bear Bachmeier is a bruising dual-threat quarterback who ran for 527 yards as a freshman last year.
If Sione Moa can rush for somewhere around 500 yards averaging about five yards per carry, the three-headed rushing monster of him, Martin, and Bachmeier could be one of the most dominant running games in the country.
If healthy, look for an impactful year from Sione Moa as he spells LJ Martin and runs right over the top of already gassed opposing defenses.
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