ND Football Recruiting: Moala Ready To Start The Next Chapter
2018 Notre Dame safety signee Paul Moala knows he’ll officially be a college football player in a month and has been putting in the work to give himself every advantage to get on the field in the fall.
“I’ve been trying to get my weight up,” Moala told Irish Sports Daily. “I’ve been lifting and running. I’ve also been studying the defense and trying to learn that a little bit. Hopefully, when I get in there, I’ll be ready.”
The Mishawaka (Ind.) native has made an effort to gain weight before he gets to campus, but he also said Notre Dame didn’t set a target weight for him.
“I’m right around 215 pounds right now,” said Moala. “I’ve gained a few pounds. I’m just trying to get a couple pounds on before I get to campus.”
The 6-foot-1, 215-pounder is well-aware of Jordan Genmark Heath’s move to safety and hopes he can stay at safety, but he also wants to get on the field as soon as possible.
“They plan on starting me off at safety,” stated Moala. “Hopefully I don’t put on too many pounds and end up at linebacker, but I’m willing to play wherever.”
Moala has also been in the defensive playbook to get a better feel for Clark Lea’s defense, but also to educate himself on almost an entirely new type of defense than what he played at Penn High School.
“It’s different and more complex,” explained Moala. “In high school, it was a lot simpler. We played one safety high a lot of the time. It’s a huge change to play two safeties high.”
The good thing for Moala is the fact he lives about 10 minutes from Notre Dame, and he got to take in multiple spring practices.
“At the beginning, I was trying to see what they were working on with their footwork,” Moala said. “I was watching a lot of the hip drills, but towards the end of spring practice, I was trying to read what kind of coverages the safeties were running.”
Moala was also watching safeties coach Terry Joseph during the spring to get a feel for his new position coach.
“I haven’t been in contact with Coach Joseph much,” stated Moala. “We spoke at spring practice and connected pretty well.
“A lot of the guys said they liked him and I can see why they like him. He’s a good guy and has a lot of energy.”
While he might not be moving far from home, Moala is excited to move on campus and get the next chapter of his life started in June.
“I feel like a lot of us are excited,” said Moala. “A lot of guys are doing a lot to prepare. I’m excited to see how that plays out this summer.
“I’m excited to be able to experience it and not be in the stands for that moment. To be on the field for that moment, I’m excited to see what it feels like in that atmosphere.”