Puka Nacua is a 6-foot-2 205-pound wide receiver for Brigham Young University, recruited as part of the Class of 2021.
BYU summary: In one season at BYU (2021), Nacua has 43 receptions for 805 yards and six touchdowns, and 14 rushes for 148 yards. In his collegiate career (including Washington) he played in 23 games (10 starts) and had 59 receptions for 1124 yards and nine touchdowns, and 14 rushing attempts for 148 yards (BYUcougars.com, ESPN).
- 2022 (Junior).
- 2021 (Sophomore). Played in 12 games (7 starts) and had 43 receptions for 805 yards (18.7 ypc) and six touchdowns. Also rushed 14 times for 148 yards (10.6 ypc). Was named to the Phil Steel and Pro Football Network (PFN) All-Independent first-teams, and was the PFN Newcomer and Wide Receiver of the Year.
- 2020 (COVID Sophomore). Played in three games and had nine receptions for 151 yards and a touchdown.
- 2019 (Freshman). Played in eight games (three starts) and had seven receptions for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Injured and missed final three games of season.
Washington. Played two seasons (2019-2020) and had three starts in 11 games played. Totaled 16 receptions for 319 yards and three touchdowns (Washington Profile).
High School. Nacua prepped at Orem High School (Provo, Utah), where he was a MaxPreps and USA Today first-team All-American in 2018. As a senior he had 103 receptions for 2336 yards and 26 touchdowns (all state records). He also had 12 tackles (four solo), three passes defended, two interceptions, and one 65 yard kickoff returned for a touchdown (MaxPreps). In addition to All-American honors he was named Mr. Football by the Deseret News, was Utah Gatorade Player of the Year, and attained Utah state records for career receptions (260), yards (5,226), and receiving touchdowns (58). Orem won the state title in 2018.
Nacua had 297 career receptions for 5863 yards and 64 touchdowns (all Utah 6A records). Also had two kickoff returns for touchdowns, 103 rushing yards, and 17 tackles (MaxPreps). Averaged 10 points, five rebounds, and three assists per game in 17 average minutes as a four-year starter on the basketball team and was an All-State second-team honoree in 2018. In track and field Nacua ran a 11.01 in the 100-meter, 22.38 in the 200-meter, and long jumped a state record 23-feet-10.25 (Athletic.net).
Recruitment. Nacua was rated 4-stars by 247Sports (0.9404), and was the no. 1 rated recruit from Utah and the no. 48 recruit nationally in the Class of 2019. He held scholarship offers from Arizona, BYU, Cal, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, UCLA, USC, Utah, Vanderbilt, Washington, and Washington State. Nacua committed to Washington on February 10, 2019 and enrolled June 24, 2019. After two seasons Nacua entered the transfer portal (March 7, 2021) and officially transferred to BYU the next day on March 8, 2021.
Personal. Nacua’s brothers Samson (2021) and Kai (2013-2016) both played football for BYU and are now both playing in the NFL.
Social Media. Follow and support Nacua on Twitter at @AsapPuka and on Instagram @pukaizded.
Resources: BYU Player Profile, 247 Recruiting Profile, MaxPreps Stats, BYU Insider Recruiting Profile
