Ryan Moya’s journey back onto the field has been anything but easy.
For the redshirt junior tight end, the past two years have been one long effort to get to where he is now.
After being off the field for almost two years, away from school during last season and away from everything he knew during his time in Westwood, you might say Moya is glad to be back.
“I was just chomping at the bit to get back, so I’m taking it as an opportunity,” Moya said. “It was really, really tough. I haven’t been off the field for that long ever.”
It all began on the Bruins’ first offensive play from scrimmage at Oregon two years ago. After a one-yard catch, Moya’s left leg was broken on a routine tackle, ending his season in the sixth game of the year. But the problems hardly ended there. After rushing his rehab, injuries developed in his left ankle, requiring surgery at the beginning of last season.
“It was as much of a psychological injury as physical,” Moya said. “It took a long time to get back.”
Though his prolonged absence from the playing field started with an injury, soon it involved much more. Last summer, his father developed serious heart problems, forcing Moya to drop out of classes for fall quarter to be at home with his family. Dealing with a serious family concern while being away from his friends and teammates and also trying to get healthy left Moya with plenty of time to get inside his own head.
“It was really tough,” Moya said. “It was the hardest period of my life. At the same time, when things got better at home, I was able to grasp how important football was to me. I missed it a lot. I matured at home, realized how important UCLA is to me.”
While home, Moya analyzed his own life, making changes in his lifestyle.
“I came back with a different perspective of my life here, dealing with my day better,” he said. “Going about my approach to the game differently too, just being positive about everything.”
And now that he’s back, Moya has made his presence felt. In the Bruins’ opener against Tennessee, Moya caught the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter. On Saturday against Washington State, Moya snagged two touchdown passes to lead UCLA to a win his team needed.
His teammate, redshirt junior tight end Adam Heater, has seen his friend go from the lowest low to back as a playmaker on offense. Moya leads the team with three touchdown catches.
“He’s helping our offense go,” Heater said. “As his buddy, it’s great to see him finally succeed after such a long time. Personally, it was just so tough for him. I can’t be happier for him.”
Senior defensive tackle Brigham Harwell remembers Moya as a freshman and is happy to see him back on the field three seasons later. The tight end made an impact in his first year, earning the nickname “Mocedes” in tribute to his talent, and the guy above him on the depth chart ““ current NFL player Mercedes Lewis.
“It’s amazing how he came back (from injuries),” Harwell said. “And on top of that, dealing with his family issues was tough for him. I give him all the credit in the world. He deserves everything he gets.”
And for Moya, who’s having fun playing football again, everything seems to be falling back into place.
“For so long, football was my life,” Moya said. “So it made me step back and think “˜What if it wasn’t?’ As I got better, it made me realize how important football is to me, and just to make the most of my years here.”