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Inside The Huskies

Nacuas Confirm They Will Play for Hometown BYU

The wide receivers from Provo, Utah, have returned home, moves that weren't popular with everyone.
Dan Raley|
Nacuas Confirm They Will Play for Hometown BYU
Nacuas Confirm They Will Play for Hometown BYU

Puka and Samson Nacua, wide receivers from Provo, Utah, who recently exited the University of Washington and Utah football teams, respectively, will play together for their hometown BYU.

Thus ends three days of debate, angst and pettiness on behalf of fans who felt jilted by these athletes, in particular Nacua, and who publicly voiced their displeasure.

Puka Nacua was once a 4-star recruit and was being groomed to be the Huskies' No. 1 receiver, which didn't happen sooner because he broke his foot as a freshman and presumably sat out with COVID issues last fall.

In turn, some UW fans over the past few days went to great lengths to attack Nacua's talent level, suggesting he didn't have what it took to be a standout receiver, that he didn't have the right to change schools, that he wouldn't be missed. 

It wasn't a good look.

In explaining their program exits, the Nacua brothers said their decisions were family-based, that they had to go home, seemingly innocent stuff actually to be admired.

"I know I needed to be there," Puka Nacua said Monday on Seattle's KJR radio.

Some of the fan vitriol over the past few days got so bad a couple of athletes at other schools felt compelled to tweet out that the discontented should back off and leave Puka alone.

While player departures are never easily accepted by fans, this program disconnect seemed to bring out the worst in the supposed team loyalists.

People just couldn't help themselves, sending all sorts of questioning or negative messages. 

Meantime, BYU and its fan base are decidedly overjoyed over the sudden pick-up of the Nacua brothers. Samson played three productive seasons for Utah. Puka, again, was poised to be an elite college player if only he could stay healthy.

In Provo, the hyperbole has begun.

And, no, BYU doesn't show up on any future UW football schedules, though are a few open non-conference slots left in the coming seasons.

Follow Dan Raley of Husky Maven on Twitter: @DanRaley1 and @HuskyMaven

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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