Aisea Moa’s Decision
The weight of the decision pressed down on Aisea Moa’s shoulders, a burden he couldn’t shake. For months, he had been grappling with it, torn between loyalty to his roots and the pull of something greater. As the BYU linebacker stood in front of his locker, the familiar hum of teammates laughing and preparing for practice felt distant. He reached into his bag, pulling out his phone, and scrolled through the Transfer Portal page. His fingers hovered over the ‘Enter Portal’ button. With a deep breath, he pressed it.
The moment he hit “Submit,” it felt like his future cracked open before him. The sense of finality hit hard, but in the same instant, a strange sense of relief followed. For years, he had fought for his place in the BYU program, fighting through injuries and doubt. He had once been the golden recruit, the one who was supposed to lead the Cougar defense to greatness. His family had flown in from Hawaii, filling the stands with pride as he played in the blue and white. But over time, the passion he once had for the program began to wane. Coaches came and went, schemes shifted, and teammates changed. Somewhere along the way, Aisea lost the fire that had originally burned so brightly.
He leaned against his locker, his mind flashing back to the first time he stepped onto the field at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The energy, the crowd, the roar of the fans after a sack – it had been everything he imagined. But in the past season, the stadium had grown quiet when it was his turn to shine. Injuries had taken their toll. A bad shoulder, then a hamstring strain, and just when he felt ready to return, the team’s new defensive schemes didn’t quite fit his style. He wasn’t the same player he’d once been, and that gnawed at him. The game wasn’t fun anymore.
Across the room, his teammates hustled about, unaware of the silent storm brewing inside him. Aisea had been a leader on and off the field. Yet, today, the weight of the decision he had just made felt more isolating than ever. His best friend, Kaimana, approached him. “You good, bro?” Kaimana asked, his eyes squinting with concern.
Aisea exhaled. “Yeah. Just… thinking.”
“You sure? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Aisea ran a hand through his thick hair, then met his friend’s gaze. “I’m leaving,” he said quietly.
The words hung in the air for a moment, and Kaimana blinked in surprise. “Wait, you’re—?”
“I’m entering the portal. I’ve got to go.”
Kaimana’s expression softened. “Man, I get it. I really do. If this is what’s best for you… well, you know I got your back. But this place is gonna be different without you. We all know that.”
Aisea nodded, a mixture of guilt and anticipation clouding his mind. “I know. I just feel like I’ve hit a wall here. I need something new, a fresh start. Maybe it’s time to move on.”
The thought echoed in his mind: Maybe it’s time to move on.
He stood up, pushing the door open to step outside, feeling the cold, crisp air of winter bite at his skin. The world seemed quieter, more solitary, as he walked through the campus of Brigham Young University. He’d been part of this place for so long, but now, it no longer felt like home.
The transfer portal was a gamble, but in Aisea’s mind, the risk was worth it. There was a fire within him that he had to reignite, a future that demanded action, even if it meant leaving everything behind. Whether it was a bigger school or a better system that would allow him to return to the player he had once been, Aisea knew he had no other choice but to chase that next chapter.
As the sun dipped below the mountains, Aisea Moa walked into his future, unsure of what lay ahead but certain that it was time to leave the past behind.
