Inside The Huskies

The Tale of Puka Nacua and Rome Odunze as Husky Teammates

The two elite receivers played one season, just four games, together at the UW.
Dan Raley|
Puka Nacua (15) catches a 28-yard touchdown pass over Hawaii defensive back Eugene Ford (8) during their Husky Stadium game in 2019.
Puka Nacua (15) catches a 28-yard touchdown pass over Hawaii defensive back Eugene Ford (8) during their Husky Stadium game in 2019. | Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

Not so long ago, they were University of Washington football teammates and fellow wide receivers during the COVID-interrupted season of 2020, together for just four games, both largely used as reserves.

Puka Nacua and Rome Odunze.

One wore No. 15 initially before switching to 12 and the other pulled on No. 16 before settling on No. 1.

Four years ago, Nacua was this 6-foot-1, 210-pound sophomore from Provo, Utah, while Odunze checked in as a 6-foot-3, 205-pound freshman from Las Vegas.

They were both thoughtful and pleasant personalities, though they did no media interviews that season because of the pandemic.

Nacua stayed two seasons in Montlake before going home to spend two more at BYU and he's now an NFL sensation, a record-holder, after playing his rookie year for the Los Angeles Rams.

Hot on his heels, Odunze spent four years at the UW, likewise as a receiving record-holder, and now prepares for his rookie season with the Chicago Bears.

It is well known Nacua set NFL records for 105 receptions and 1,486 receiving yards for a first-year player -- and Odunze is taking solid aim at those standards.

"I went to school with Puka Nacua," Odunze declared this week. "I'm absolutely chasing that."

In their time together, Nacua finished as the Huskies' second-leading receiver in the abbreviated 2020 season with 9 catches for 151 yards and a 65-yard toucdown grab against Arizona, trailing only tight end Cade Otton, who had 18 catches for 258 yards and 3 scores. Odunze tied for fifth on the team in receptions with Ty Jones by catching 6 balls for 72 yards.

Terrell Bynum and Jones were the starters for the first three games, paired with double tight ends in Otton and either Jack Westover or Devin Culp.

UW wide receiver Rome Odunze shows emotion while appearing in the College Football Playoff national championship game at NRG
UW wide receiver Rome Odunze shows emotion while appearing in the College Football Playoff national championship game at NRG Stadium. | Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Game 4 that season against Stanford turned interesting because starting wide receivers Bynum and Jones, plus Nacua, all came down with COVID prior to that final game, necessitating that Jalen McMillan and Odunze, both freshmen, draw their first career starts as Huskies.

Moving up the UW depth chart, Odunze that day effectively replaced Nacua, who would have been next up to start if he wasn't ill.

Now Rome wants the other guy's NFL rookie records, which seems only fair, as these two show what the competition level might have been between them had these elite pass-catchers played two more seasons as Huskies.

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington

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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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