Matayo Uiagalelei said on Tuesday that he muted his father’s social media account because he did not want to keep seeing every post. The Oregon defender said the move was simple: he still talks to his father a lot, but he did not need that feed showing up on his timeline.
The comment landed on a day when Oregon was drawing fresh attention for being ranked No. 2 in the preseason Top 25. That kind of spotlight makes even ordinary off-field habits newsworthy, and Uiagalelei’s answer fit a pattern many college athletes are trying to follow: stay connected to family, but cut down on the noise that comes with being watched all the time.
Uiagalelei said, “The most posts I would see about from myself is from my dad.” He added that he did not unfollow him, only muted the account so he would not see all of the posts. The distinction mattered because the issue was not family distance. It was volume.
That small choice also came against the backdrop of a player who is already established in Oregon’s lineup. Uiagalelei is entering his fourth season in Eugene after playing in 42 games from 2023-2025, with 90 total tackles, 25.0 tackles for loss and 18.5 sacks. He also has eight passes defended, four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one interception, and he was named First-team All-Big Ten in 2024.
There was another piece of the same mood around the program on Tuesday. Dante Moore said he had been off social media earlier in the day, a reminder that the urge to step back from constant online attention is not limited to one player. For Uiagalelei, though, the message was even more direct: he is not trying to stop hearing from his father, only from seeing every post he makes about him.
Oregon’s ranking and national expectations will keep the spotlight bright, and that makes the mute button look less like a throwaway detail than a small act of control. Uiagalelei did not say whether the account will stay muted, but he made clear the boundary is already in place.
