Notre Dame Football: Paul Moala shines in the Blue-Gold Game

In his second year for the Notre Dame football team, Paul Moala is now showing his true value at the rover position after originally being overlooked.

Out of the many bright spots in Notre Dame football’s 90th annual Blue & Gold game, sophomore Paul Moala arguably shone the brightest.

The safety-turned-linebacker could not be stopped Saturday. He tallied nine total tackles (eight solo), two sacks, and two tackles for loss. Moala needed a stage to show the improvements he has made over the offseason and he did just that.

There is quite a bit of pressure to be the hometown-kid playing at Notre Dame, but Moala is as calm as anyone when he’s on the field. Hailing from close-by Mishawaka, Indiana, Moala could practically walk to Notre Dame’s campus if he needed to.

Moala looked comfortable on the field, often looking more like a senior than a rising sophomore. That did not go unnoticed, either.

Brian Kelly noted that Moala caught his eye during the game. “I’ve been pleased with Paul,” said Kelly. “Paul is a smart player. He’s a good, sure tackler. I feel pretty confident with him out on the field.”

Kelly even went as far as to say that Moala “is a kid that I think you’ll see playing for us next year.”

But Moala isn’t at Notre Dame for the accolades or praise from coaches. He is there to work hard and make himself known on the field.

While Moala was one of the standout players Saturday, he still believes he has plenty to work on.

“I didn’t play as well as I wanted to,” said Moala. “There were little things I was really happy about in my performance today, but I’m always looking to improve.”

Moala will need to continue to improve in order to lockdown legitimate playing time this fall. Notre Dame has yet to find a true ‘fit’ at essentially any linebacker position, and Moala could find himself bursting onto the scene very quickly.

He has shown the versatility to move from safety to rover but now it is time for Moala to show he can start and contribute for what should be a very stout Notre Dame defense.

The rover position is not one that can be learned overnight and it will be important for Moala and the Notre Dame coaching staff to be patient in his transition. However, the transition thus far has looked nearly seamless.

I got the chance to cover Moala as he and I went to the same high school and anyone who has watched even a bit of film of Moala knows he is best when he plays close to the line of scrimmage.

Not many guys can match Moala’s speed and athleticism close to the line and that was seen on full display Saturday afternoon.

It will be interesting to see how Moala progresses this summer. He has the chance to potentially move into a starting position at the rover by Sept. 2 at Louisville.

If he isn’t starting, expect to see him playing plenty against a Louisville team who will try to throw the ball around.