Fall 15: Most pivotal players for BYU football in fall camp 2026
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- BYU sophomore Sione Moa (30) runs the ball up the field during the non-conference game against Portland State at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2026.
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- BYU freshman running back Sione I Moa runs the ball up the field during practice in Provo on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024.
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- BYU freshman running back Sione I. Moa runs the ball during the non-conference game against Wyoming in Laramie on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.
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- BYU freshman running back Sione I, Moa runs the ball up the field during the Big 12 game against Kansas State at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024.
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- BYU running back Sione I. Moa carries the ball against Utah in a college football game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024.
BYU football’s fall practice session is set to get underway during the first week of August and with it will come a lot of reporting on the preparations for the coming 2026 football season. Several players will receive focus throughout the month of August with more than several of them likely to prove pivotal for the Cougar’s overall success this season. In the lead-up to the fall football practice session we’ll be previewing 15 such players whose contribution and progress throughout August will very likely play big in determining how successful of a team BYU proves to be in 2026.
Sione Moa
5-10 220 RS-So. RB
Victorville, Calif.
What LJ Martin accomplished last season was nothing short of amazing. The then-junior running back was the very definition of a workhorse, carrying the football 236 times for 1,343 yards and 12 touchdowns in what was certainly one of the top running back performances in BYU football history.
Asking Martin to do as much again certainly isn’t unreasonable as the proof is in the pudding with regards to what level of performance he can provide and that ability should even be enhanced this time around. But asking him to do as much is a shaky prospect given the toll it takes on one’s body, and fortunately Martin should be afforded some quality backup help that simply wasn’t there for most of the 2025 season.
Enter Sione Moa.
Moa is a 5-foot-10, 220 pound running back from Timpview High School who is only just a sophomore this season after sitting out most of last season with a somewhat bizarre and rather serious condition with the blood flow to his leg. It was thought to be serious enough that it would preclude Moa’s promising career, but he returned the practice field this past spring, participated fully and appears to be a full-go come fall.
Moa has a lot of good talent and he flashed as much during his freshman season when he galloped for 144 yards and three touchdowns, earning most of his playing time late in the season as a somewhat surprise contributor. He was well-assumed to be Martin’s primary backup last season, and did fulfill the role well despite carrying a soft tissue injury up until BYU’s win over East Carolina which effectively shelved him for the remainder of the season.
So Moa should pick up right where he left off after his freshman season, and after last season’s frustration, he should be raring to go as BYU’s No. 2 running back in 2026. Assuming he remains healthy ,Moa should provide a pivotal backup role to Martin while affording the reigning Big 12 Conference offensive player of the year some much-needed relief throughout the season.
Moa is also one of the more humble and sincere players on the entire BYU football team, setting up one of the better potential storylines we’ll be covering throughout August and into the coming season.
