The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543210
56 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MARCH 2026 U-M over Stanford and California, following one year of develop- ment with the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He left after his position coach, Donovan Raiola, was fired from Matt Rhule's staff. Ka'aha'aina-Torres played in only two games as a freshman in 2025, versus Akron and Houston Christian. He logged 3 snaps at right guard against Akron and 11 snaps at center when facing Houston Christian. He graded out at 62.0 overall on PFF, while not allowing any pressures or sacks on 4 pass-blocking snaps. JONAH LEA'EA • DL SR. • 6-5 • 285 UTAH • LAS VEGAS (NEV.) BISHOP GORMAN On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: HHH, No. 51 DL Rivals Industry Ranking (2020): HHH, No. 1,047 overall, No. 90 DL Lea'ea spent the last three seasons playing under Whitting- ham and new Michigan defensive run game coordinator and ends coach Lewis Powell at Utah. The 6-foot-5, 285-pounder spent three years in Salt Lake City and has two seasons of eligibility remaining, having redshirted as a freshman in 2023. The San Mateo, Calif., native is coming off a strong 2025 season in which he led all Utah defensive tackles with 623 snaps. He posted 38 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 pass breakup, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery in 13 games, helping the Utes record an 11-2 mark. He added 16 quarterback pressures, including season highs of 3 against UCLA and Texas Tech, showing he can generate pass rush from the interior of the line. Lea'ea appeared in six contests as a redshirt freshman in 2024, tallying 2 tackles. He totaled 52 defensive snaps. He competed in two games while redshirting in 2023. GAVIN MAGORIEN • LS SO. • 6-0 • 202 MARSHALL • ERIE (PA.) MCDOWELL On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: HHH, No. 34 LS Rivals Industry Ranking (2025): N/R Magorien spent one season at Marshall and has three years of eligibility remaining. The Erie, Pa., native snapped in all 12 games for Marshall in 2025, logging 124 snaps. He was the snap- per on both field goals and punts. He generated a 38.6 special teams grade on PFF. Magorien isn't just a snapper, apparently. He also was the recipient of a fake punt pass that went for 12 yards and led to a touchdown in a 35-23 loss to James Madison. Plays later, Mar- shall scored a touchdown to cut the deficit to eight points in the third quarter. AISEA MOA • LB GR. • 6-2 • 235 MICHIGAN STATE • NORTH OGDEN (UTAH) WEBER On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: HHH, No. 159 LB Rivals Industry Ranking (2022): HHH, No. 377 overall, No. 36 LB Aisea Moa has deep ties to Michigan's coaching staff and fa- miliarity being entrenched in the defensive scheme. Moa spent three seasons at BYU (2022-24), the last two under U-M coor- dinator Jay Hill, before transferring to Michigan State (2025). The North Ogden, Utah, native has appeared in 28 college games with one start at linebacker. He played in 11 games off the bench for the Spartans in 2025, totaling a career-high 180 defensive snaps. Moa was also a key special teamer for MSU, totaling 89 snaps. He played on kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage and field goal block. A versatile defensive player, Moa took 110 snaps in the box and 57 on the defensive line (all at edge rusher) in 2025. He was effective as a pass rusher, despite not notching a sack. He generated 11 pressures on 43 pass-rush opportunities. Appearing in 12 games for BYU in 2024, Moa logged 142 de- fensive snaps and 67 snaps on special teams. He recorded 16 tackles, including a half-tackle for loss (in a win over Arizona) while forcing a fumble against No. 13 Kansas State. Moa was a deep reserve at BYU in 2023, playing in three games. He redshirted in 2022, making two appearances. SALESI MOA • ATH FR. • 6-2 • 175 UTAH • OGDEN (UTAH) FREMONT On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: HHHH, No. 64 overall, No. 1 ATH Rivals Industry Ranking (2026): HHH, No. 42, No. 1 ATH A four-star prospect and the nation's No. 64 overall player and top-ranked athlete, Moa signed with Utah in December, enrolled at the school and briefly attended classes, before entering the transfer portal. He chose to follow Kyle Whit- tingham and Co. to U-M, where he's expected to play wide receiver. While Moa changed course in the blink of an eye, he was already considering playing for the Wolverines under the previous staff, which recruited him primarily as a defensive back. The younger brother of Aisea, Moa has blazing-fast speed, having run a verified 10.74-second 100-meter dash in high school. CHRISTIAN PIERCE • LB SO. • 6-0 • 235 WESTERN ILLINOIS • CHICAGO BROTHER RICE On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: HHH, No. 155 LB Rivals Industry Ranking (2024): HHH, No. 1,038 overall, No. 112 LB The brother of Michigan senior defensive lineman Trey Pierce, Christian appeared in one game last season and red- shirted at the FCS level, meaning he has four years of eligibility remaining. Coming out of high school, Pierce was named All-CCL, All- Area and Defensive MVP during his senior year. He also earned All-CCL and was an All-Area honorable mention his sopho- more year. His recruitment saw him land offers from several top schools, including Michigan, Iowa, Texas, Ohio State, Penn State and Mississippi, but an injury late in his senior season cooled things off.