Puka Nacua

Makea "Puka" Nacua (; born May 29, 2001) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the BYU Cougars after transferring from Washington. Selected by the Rams in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL draft, Nacua set rookie records for receiving yards and receptions, along with being named to the Pro Bowl and as a second-team All-Pro.

Early life

Nacua is of Samoan, Hawaiian and Portuguese descent. He acquired the nickname "Puka", meaning fat and chubby in Samoan, due to his size as a baby. He grew up in Provo, Utah, and attended Orem High School in Orem, Utah. Nacua finished his high school career with 260 catches, 5,226 receiving yards, and 58 receiving touchdowns, all of which are Utah state records. He was named the Polynesian High School Football Player of the Year in 2018.

College career

Washington

Nacua began his college career at Washington. He played in the first eight games of his freshman season and caught seven passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns before suffering a broken foot. Nacua had nine receptions for 151 yards and one touchdown in three games during the team's COVID-19-shortened 2020 season. Following the end of the season, he entered the NCAA transfer portal.

Brigham Young University

Nacua transferred to BYU for the 2021 season. In his first season, he caught 43 passes for 805 yards and six touchdowns. He had four games going over the 100-yard mark in the 2021 season.

On October 15, 2022, against Arkansas, he had eight receptions for 141 yards and a receiving touchdown to go with two rushing touchdowns. On November 5, in a victory over Boise State, he had 14 receptions for 157 yards and two touchdowns including a game-winning touchdown on fourth and goal to put BYU in front 31-28 with 32 seconds left.

In the 2022 season, he had 48 receptions for 625 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. He ran the ball 39 times for 357 yards (an average of 9.2 yards per rush) and scored five touchdowns on the ground during his two seasons at BYU.

College statistics

Professional career

Pre-draft

Nacua was selected by the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL) in the fifth round, 177th overall, of the 2023 NFL draft.

2023 season

In his first professional football game, Nacua caught three passes for 32 yards including an 11-yard touchdown reception in a 34-17 preseason loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. The performance elevated him to the starting lineup and he did not see further action during the preseason. Nacua made his rookie debut as a starter for the Rams on September 10, 2023, against the rival Seattle Seahawks in Seattle. The Seahawks were heavy favorites because the Rams were coming off of an injury-riddled 2022 season and the team was without star receiver Cooper Kupp, who had been sidelined with a hamstring injury. Despite this, Nacua was a formidable piece of the team's offense, making 10 catches for 119 yards in his debut as the Rams beat the Seahawks 30–13. Though he was first questionable with a rib injury, in his second game, Nacua broke the NFL single-game record for catches by a rookie as he caught 15 passes for 147 yards in a 30–23 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. The 25 catches over his first two games was another rookie record, surpassing Earl Cooper's 43-year-old mark of 19, and he also became the first player to record more than 10 catches and more than 100 yards in each of his first two NFL games.

In a Week 4 game against the Indianapolis Colts, Nacua had nine receptions for 163 yards. Nacua got his first NFL touchdown in overtime on a 22-yard reception to beat the Colts 29–23. During a Week 7 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Nacua finished with 154 receiving yards on eight receptions as the Rams lost 17–24. Against the Cleveland Browns in Week 13, Nacua surpassed 1,000 receiving yards on the year with a 70-yard touchdown reception as the Rams won 36–19. In Week 16 against the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football, Nacua caught nine passes for 164 yards with a touchdown and ran twice for 16 yards and was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week. Against the New York Giants in Week 17, Nacua caught five passes for 118 yards, including a season-long 80-yard catch-and-run to set up a touchdown in the Rams' 26–25 victory. He finished the season with 105 receptions for 1,486 yards, setting new NFL rookie single season records for total receptions (breaking the previous mark of 104 set by Jaylen Waddle in 2021) and total receiving yards (breaking the previous mark of 1,473 set by Bill Groman in 1960). He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. In his first career playoff game, Nacua caught nine passes for 181 yards including a 50-yard touchdown in the Rams' 24–23 loss to the Detroit Lions in the NFC Wild Card Round. The yardage total set a new single-game record for receiving yards by a rookie in a playoff game, breaking the previous mark 160 set by Seattle's DK Metcalf in 2019. The record was then broken the subsequent season by Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey.

2024 season

On August 4, 2024, Nacua suffered an injury during training, bursting the bursa sac in his right knee. Following the injury, Nacua was declared as week-to-week, and did not start practicing again until August 26. On September 4, he had done a full practice and was cleared by the Rams for the season-opener game against the Detroit Lions. In the 26–20 loss to the Lions on September 8, Nacua caught four passes for 35 yards and ran the ball once for seven yards, but exited the game in the second quarter and did not return. The next day, Nacua was diagnosed with a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) sprain and was placed on injured reserve.
After missing five games, Nacua was activated off injured reserve on October 24 and played in the Rams' Week 8 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, finishing with 106 receiving yards in a 30–20 victory. A week later, Nacua caught one pass for 11 yards at Seattle, but was ejected from the game in the second quarter for unsportsmanlike conduct after throwing a punch during a post-play altercation with Seahawks Linebacker Tyrel Dodson. On December 8, Nacua put up 162 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown, and one rushing touchdown in a 44–42 win over the Buffalo Bills. He also became the first player in Rams franchise history to put up at least 150 receiving yards, a rushing touchdown, and a receiving touchdown in a game. Four days later in a Week 15 Thursday Night Football matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, Nacua caught seven passes for 97 yards in a touchdown-free, rain-filled 12-6 victory at Levi's Stadium. One of those catches, against 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward early in the first quarter, this play was widely compared by fans to David Tyree's Helmet Catch against the New England Patriots in the final two minutes of Super Bowl XLII. Nacua also ran the ball two times for 11 yards.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

Personal life

Nacua's older brother, Samson, also plays wide receiver, and transferred from the University of Utah to BYU at the same time that Puka transferred from Washington. Samson went undrafted and spent time with the Indianapolis Colts. Another older brother, Kai Nacua, plays safety for the Michigan Panthers in the United Football League after also previously playing in the NFL. Nacua's father, Lionel, died from complications of diabetes when Puka was 11. His mother, Penina, belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Nacua played Pop Warner football with Dana White III, son of UFC CEO and president Dana White.

Business interests

On April 25, 2024, Nacua signed a multi-year footwear and apparel deal with Jordan Brand along with Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby.

On September 4, Nacua signed an endorsement deal with Gatorade, along with Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, and flag football player Diana Flores.

References

External links

Los Angeles Rams bioWashington Huskies bioBYU Cougars bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nacua, Puka
2001 births
Living people
Players of American football from Provo, Utah
American sportspeople of Samoan descent
American football wide receivers
American people of Portuguese descent
Sportspeople of Portuguese descent
BYU Cougars football players
Washington Huskies football players
Los Angeles Rams players
National Conference Pro Bowl players
Players of American football from Las Vegas
Pacific Islander American players of American football