Paul Moala
American football player (born 2000)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paula Illoa O Vavau Lahi Moala (born January 31, 2000)[1] is an American professional football linebacker. He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Idaho Vandals, and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Mishawaka, Indiana, U.S.
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Born | January 31, 2000[1] Mishawaka, Indiana, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Listed weight | 229 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Penn (Mishawaka, Indiana) |
| College | Notre Dame (2018–2021) Idaho (2022) Georgia Tech (2023) |
| NFL draft | 2024: undrafted |
| Career history | |
* Offseason or practice squad member only | |
Early life
Moala attended high school at Penn. Coming out of high school, Moala was rated as a three star recruit, and the 20th overall prospect in the State of Indiana.[2] Moala also held offers from schools such as Notre Dame, Iowa, Hawaii, Air Force, Utah State.[3] Ultimately, Moala decided to commit to play college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.[4][5]
College career
Notre Dame
During the 2018 season, Moala played in seven games where he made one tackle.[6] In week 13 of the 2019 season, Moala returned a fumble 27 yards for a touchdown, in a win over Navy.[7] In the 2019 season, Moala totaled 14 tackles with one being for a loss, a fumble recovery, a forced fumble, and a touchdown.[8] During the 2020 season, Moala played in just three games where he had seven tackles before tearing his Achilles.[9] In the 2021 season, Moala played in just one game before tearing his Achilles once again.[10] After the conclusion of the 2021 season, Moala decided to enter his name into the NCAA transfer portal.[11][12]
Idaho
Moala decided to transfer to play for the Idaho Vandals.[13][14] During the 2022 season, Moala had a breakout year, totaling 61 tackles with seven being for a loss, five pass deflections, four interceptions, and a forced fumble.[15] After the conclusion of the 2022 season, Moala decided to enter his name into the NCAA transfer portal once again.[16][17]
Georgia Tech
Moala transferred to play his final season at Georgia Tech.[18][19] During Moala's lone season with Georgia Tech, he notched 65 tackles with 11 being for a loss, four sacks, two pass deflections, and three forced fumbles.[20] After the conclusion of the 2023 season, Moala decided to declare for the 2024 NFL draft.[21]
Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Total | Solo | Ast | Sack | PD | Int | Yds | TD | FF | FR | TD | ||
| 2018 | Notre Dame | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | Notre Dame | 12 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2020 | Notre Dame | 3 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | Notre Dame | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Idaho | 12 | 11 | 61 | 29 | 32 | 2.0 | 5 | 4 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Georgia Tech | 13 | 13 | 65 | 37 | 28 | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 48 | 24 | 148 | 78 | 70 | 6.0 | 7 | 4 | 21 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | |
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+1⁄5 in (1.83 m) | 230 lb (104 kg) | 31+3⁄4 in (0.81 m) | 9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) | 4.76 s | 1.57 s | 2.70 s | 4.39 s | 7.18 s | 36 in (0.91 m) | 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) | ||
| All values from Pro Day[22] | ||||||||||||
Chicago Bears
After not being selected in the 2024 NFL draft, Moala decided to sign with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent.[23][24] He was waived on August 26.[25]
San Antonio Brahmas
On April 28, 2025, Moala signed with the San Antonio Brahmas of the United Football League (UFL).[26]