We just know we always have each other’s back, in the end. I could tell him anything. We just have that kind of connection. – Julian Blackmon
SALT LAKE CITY – Samson Nacua’s affable demeanor seems in stark contrast to Julian Blackmon’s intensity.
But get them in a conversation together, in what seems like an odd couple, transforms into an unlikely but perfect union.
Nacua, a receiver who graduated from perennial power Timpview, and Blackmon, a cornerback from middle-of-the-pack Layton High, knew each other superficially as they entered Utah together as freshmen two years ago.
“It was me who texted him and I was, like, ‘Hey, you want to be roommates at Utah?’” said Blackmon, who is a year ahead of Nacua in football because Nacua used his redshirt last season. “Ever since that, we’ve just been best friends.”
Both men laugh when asked about their friendship, acknowledging that to outsiders, it may seem like something of a strange pairing. But both players said their friendship has given them an edge on the field and emotional support off the field.
“That kid is like the happiest kid ever,” Blackmon said. “He’s for sure the reason why I’m always happy. He just shows me life is not always about the intense things, that you can have fun with it. Me and him as roommates, it’s just funny because I never thought that me and him would be roommates.”
“Julian is one of our best DBs by far,” Nacua said. “Since we live together, we work out together, and we go do one-on-ones with each other, and he’s pretty physical. I think working with him has helped me a lot.”
Their friendship hasn’t tempered their desire to best each other when it comes to lining up against each other on the field.
“I think me and him go against each other really hard,” Nacua laughs. “It helps us a lot. It’s going to push us to be better.”
As Nacua endured the aftermath of his first collegiate fumble during the San Jose State game, his roommate found him and offered harsh but helpful words.
“I was standing there talking with (coach) Holliday,” Nacua said. “He ran over and hit me on the head, and he was like, ‘What are you doing? You need to get your crap together and don’t fumble. You need to catch everything and just get yards.’ I was like, ‘I got you, bro, won’t happen again.’”
Nacua said Blackmon’s competitive fire is contagious, while Blackmon said Nacua’s calm and perspective keep him from getting too aggressive.
“I think it’s that defensive side of me,” Blackmon said smiling. “I’m really aggressive. Where the offense is kind of like, ‘It’s chill. It’s good.’”
That ‘chill’ helps when a player is trying to shake off mistakes or disappointment.
Both have turned out to be impact players for the Utes this season. Blackmon leads the Utes’ Pac-12-leading defense with two interceptions, while Nacua has 18 receptions for 162 yards. He did get that first collegiate touchdown in Utah’s win over Arizona.
Both said their time together has helped them develop more quickly than they might have on their own.
“When we watch film together, I just show him what he can do against certain defenders, and he shows me what I can do against certain receivers,” Blackmon said.
Their friendship may have started with football, but it’s become much more than the bond two teammates share.
“He’s like my brother, really,” said Nacua. “Me and him hang out with each other 24/7, doing everything together, training together, really doing it all together.”
Blackmon said they actually share a lot of similar interests, from music to an adventurous spirit. He points out that their third roommate, Montana State transfer Tre Strong, who isn’t eligible this season per NCAA transfer rules, is cut from a similar cloth.
“We like talking a lot,” he said laughing. “So you know we always talk, well, we have a lot of deep conversations; we love meeting people, so we go around and just talk to people. We’re really open with our lives.” Those conversations, Blackmon said, mirror the way they play against each other – no boundaries, no mercy.
“It’s everything,” he said. “You know, like religion and God, like political and girls, just everything.”
Their friendship, they both said, helps them deal with the grueling demands of collegiate football and the unpredictability of life.
“We just know we always have each other’s back, in the end,” Blackmon said. “I could tell him anything. We just have that kind of connection.”