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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a roster full of players, and we want to talk about them all. One Foot Down’s player profile series will, once again, take a look at every single one of them, and hopefully we all learn a little bit more about these guys, and Notre Dame’s chances for the upcoming 2021 season.
#13 Paul Moala, Linebacker
Mr. Paul Moala is in his fourth season in the program. He hails right from the 574 as he went to Penn High School in Mishawaka, IN. He has gotten into the rotation on the roster at linebacker, but he has been at the mercy of Clark Lea’s defense and having absolutely incredible linebackers ahead of him. The most recent great LB was of course Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah who will more than likely be a high draft pick in this year’s NFL Draft. Last season Moala could’ve broken out a bit more, but he unfortunately only played in 3 games and had 7 total tackles. He injured his achilles against Florida State and had to sit out the rest of the season because he tore that achilles tendon. Paul will definitely be looking to make some more noise as he comes back from injury and surgery.
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The Restaurant That Fits
This pick is in honor of one of my favorite plays ever when Paul Moala stole an option pitch out of the air and housed it for a TD as you can see above. I think technically this play would be a scoop and score because it isn’t a pick six. So, we’ll go with that. If it was a scoop and score, then Paul Moala fits a restauarant that scoops. And that would be wonderful frozen custard place where a location is in his hometown of Mishawaka - Ritter’s. If you haven’t been to Ritter’s, I HIGHLY recommend this place. It has incredible frozen custard and is a Michiana staple.
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2021 Outlook
As mentioned, Paul Moala is coming back from tearing his achilles last season. He still is looking to get into a full time spot as maybe getting close to being a starter at linebacker. However, the position is still stacked with Drew White, Isaiah Pryor, and Bo Bauer also vying for time at LB (just to name a few). With Moala working back to his normal speed and playing, he might have to take a back seat to these other guys, but we know he can make an impact in games. We hope he can recover and truly know his place of importance to the defense under Marcus Freeman.