There are many signs that suggest that Bryce Underwood will have a better season in 2026. First is the new head coach and coaching staff at Ann Arbor. And another is the caliber of talent the QB1 will be surrounded by. Among them is freshman wide receiver Salesi Moa, who has now been tipped by his coach for an active playing role on the team come next season.

“He’s going to be an exciting player, a special player,” Wolverines’ wide receivers coach Micah Simon said on the In The Trenches podcast. “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 abilities, moving him around from outside to inside. Excited to see his growth and development over the summer and fall camp. Yeah, he’ll definitely see the field this year.”

Salesi Moa was just weeks into joining the Utah Utes when Kyle Whittingham left the program. Whittingham was hired by Michigan days later, and it only made sense for him to follow the coaching staff that recruited him. Coincidentally, Michigan was a program Moa had admired since high school, which made the move more favorable. His arrival also coincided with Michigan’s search for outstanding wide receivers to help their star quarterback.

At the time of his recruitment, Moa ranked as a five-star talent and the No. 30 overall player in the nation. Interestingly, he has the statistics to back up his ratings. Just before he moved to Ann Arbor, he was coming off a senior high school season in which he had 63 receptions for 1,272 yards and 16 touchdowns, averaging 115.6 receiving yards per game.

Moa does not just seem capable of pulling up magical numbers in his debut season; he also has a chance to outperform the program’s other wide receivers. Andrew Marsh was the team’s best WR in 2025, with 651 receiving yards and four touchdowns, while Donovan McCulley followed him with 588 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

None of Michigan’s two best wide receivers were good enough to be a WR2 in other top Big 10 programs. Jeremiah Smith led the Buckeyes with 1,243 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns, with second-place Carnell Tate recording 875 yards and four touchdowns. Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr. had 937 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns, and then Elijah Sarratt had 830 yards and 15 touchdowns. In fact, third-placed Charlie Becker had 679 yards and four touchdowns, which was more than what Michigan’s best WR could offer.

There is clearly a gap between Michigan and the leading Big Ten giants when it comes to the wide receiver position. Micah Simon will now be hoping that Moa becomes one of the talents to help bridge the gap.

Regardless of whether the blame is on their flaws or on Underwood’s errors, the team has a new look in the wide receiver room, and Moa is a huge part of it. Wide receiver Andrew Marsh noted that the new additions have made them more well-rounded and promised the receiver room will do something special this year.

Kyle Whittingham on Salesi Moa

While quarterback Bryce Underwood underperformed, Moa was one of the stars in Michigan’s spring game. He made four receptions for 26 yards on six targets, including a one-handed catch. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound receiver was so smooth that he received nice words from Whittingham.

“Salesi (Moa), you saw him make a few nice catches today. He started off spring really well, but hit a little bit of a wall there towards mid-spring ball, but then started to progress and take off again towards the end,” Whittingham said.

The next season will be crucial for Bryce Underwood’s standing in college football. Despite showing some glimpses, he didn’t justify his price tag during his freshman season. Another poor season may force the head coach’s hand to try other QBs at the program.