Yet another player from the Nacua family has made his way to the NFL. Samson Nacua is the latest name to be added in the Samoan family who has received his opportunity to shine at the highest level. Having signed for the New Orleans Saints, Samson Nacua’s rise to the NFL is nothing sort of a dream come true. Before getting his chance in the big league, Samson saw his older brother Kai Nacua and younger brother Puka Nacua get their taste of the NFL.

Although Kai never managed to leave his mark on a particular franchise. He has since found his level while playing for the Michigan Panthers in the UFL. However, his younger brother Puka, is coming off a sensational rookie season with the Los Angeles Rams. Similar to his brothers, Samson could be hoping his new chapter will help redefine his footballing career. Having started his career, back in 2016, Samson’s move to the NFL wasn’t plain sailing, to say the least.

Early on in his career, when Samson played for five seasons at the University of Utah. His talent was there for everyone to see. Being a freshman, Samson racked up 82 career receptions with 1,015 yards and 11 touchdowns. Those impressive stats earned him a scholarship, a dream for most college players. On the back of such strong performances, Nacua ended up joining his brother back at BYU. Speaking about this reunion, Puka said, “My dad, it kind of started with him. Him having the idea that all of us brothers being able to play at the same school.” 

Even though, this move came in honor of their dad Lionel Nacua, his grandma, and mom also wanted the same thing to happen. The move to BYU wasn’t easy for Samson, who opened up by saying, “That whole week leading up to it if you would ask the guys, I was balling my eyes out every day in the locker room.” Samson saying goodbyes to his old team showed in professional football nothing is permanent.

Re-uniting with his brother, Samson forged a striking partnership catching 21 passes for 329 yards, while rushing seven times for 29 yards with three touchdowns. However, these numbers were enough for the 6-foot-3 only to be signed as an undrafted free agent by the Indianapolis Colts. Samson did not manage to break into the first-team roster and was eventually released that off-season.

Following his ill-fated time at the Colts, Samson found himself playing for the Michigan Panthers in 2024. There he rejoined his older brother Kai while recording 11 receptions for 125 yards. Compared to their older brothers, the youngest of them all Puka Nacua seems to be in his own league, having teared up the NFL last season with the Los Angeles Rams.

Meet Samson Nacua’s Brother Puka Nakua

Puka had a somewhat similar trajectory to his brother having started his college career at Washington Huskies. His two seasons saw him play 11 games while catching 16 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns. Soon after, he went on to join his brother at Brigham Young to fulfill his father’s dream of seeing all the brothers playing together. Having played 21 games, Puka racked up 91 receptions for 1,430 yards and 11 touchdowns. This was only the beginning of Puka unleashing his true capabilities on the gridiron.

After being drafted by the Rams, in 2023, HC Sean McVay was pretty excited as he told Rams GM Les Snead, “I think this guy would be really good for us. We’re going to nail that pick.” Speaking about nailing, Puka did more than that as he went on to smash several records in his rookie season. Puka broke a record set in 1960 by Bill Groman by completing 1,473 receiving yards. Moreover, he also snatched the rookie record of Jaylen Waddle by scoring 104 receptions.

Seeing his son, play for the first time, Penina said, “My heart was broken because he was playing in his first NFL game.” Puka didn’t just perform but also smashed a franchise record for receiving yards by catching 10 passes for 119 yards. To celebrate his receiving yard record, Puka gifted the game ball to his mom who had a big role to play after Puka’s dad passed away when he was just 11.

As Puka continues to take the Nacua name to greater heights this season, his brother Samson would also be hoping for the same. Especially with the opportunity to showcase his abilities on the biggest stage of all.