It seemed inevitable wide receiver Puka Nacua would back away from his commitment to USC after he elected to not put the pen to the paper on National Signing Day.
Then his decision was delayed a little longer when a snowstorm stopped him from arriving on time to KSL 5 TV in Salt Lake City, where he would be announcing his decision.
Late Sunday night, Nacua committed to Washington.
He chose the Huskies over USC, Oregon, UCLA, Utah and BYU.
“Every school is a great opportunity to pursue football and continue my education, but I felt like University of Washington is the best fit for me,” Nacua said on KSL 5 TV.
WOOF!!
— Coach Petersen (@CoachPeteUW) February 11, 2019
It’s a much-needed commit for the Huskies. Prior to this announcement, they only had one wide receiver in the 2019 class: three-star Taj Davis from Upland (Calif.).
With Nacua, Washington gets a receiver who broke Utah receiving records and was named to the ALL-USA Offensive First Team after finishing his senior season with 103 receptions, 2,336 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns.
He was named the Polynesian Bowl Offensive MVP.
In the process, Washington kept him away from four Pac-12 programs vying for his services.
It’s the latest string in offensive losses for USC. After Kliff Kingsbury left his offensive coordinator post to become the Arizona Cardinals head coach, five-star Bru McCoy transferred almost immediately after enrolling.
At one point holding a promising wide receiver corps of Nacua, McCoy and four-star Kyle Ford, the Trojans lost two of their foundations.
But their loss is Washington’s gain. The Huskies got an impact receiver who runs routes well, breaks into free space regularly and can potentially play a role early as the team works to get to its 10th straight bowl.