Sunday’s matchup between the Michigan Panthers and D.C. Defenders in the nation’s capital wasn’t a mere football game. It was the Nacua show.
Brothers and former BYU stars Kai and Samson Nacua were brilliant on both sides of the ball for the Panthers, helping the team punch its ticket to a postseason berth.
Safety Kai led all defenders with eight tackles — all solo stops — while receiver Samson caught six passes for a team-high 45 yards, along with a successful two-point conversion.
Thanks in large part to the Nacuas, Michigan won its third-consecutive contest — a 22-9 trouncing of the Defenders.
While Samson was a late-season addition for the Panthers, Kai is in his second campaign with the organization and has been arguably the top defensive player across the entire UFL this season. His six pass breakups and three interceptions are tops in the league, while his 43 total tackles rank 10th.
Kai and Samson come from a proud BYU family. Their older brother Isaiah was once a Cougars signee, and younger brother Puka starred in Provo before becoming a record-breaking, rookie superstar with the Los Angeles Rams.
The youngest Nacua, Tei, signed with BYU this past December to follow in his family’s legendary footsteps, as the Deseret News previously reported.
Kai spent four seasons as a Cougar, grabbing 14 interceptions with two touchdowns across 38 contests. He entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent and has spent time with six organizations — most recently the New York Jets in 2022 — before joining Michigan.
Samson played four seasons at Utah before heading to BYU in 2021 to team up with Puka. In 54 total collegiate contests, he caught 103 passes for 1,344 yards and 15 touchdowns.
The UFL is in its first season of competition after being formed from a merger of the existing USFL and XFL. The new league is comprised of eight teams, all having previously competed within one of the two prior leagues.
The two conferences within the UFL are named after the pre-merger leagues.
Led by the Nacuas, Michigan will face the Birmingham Stallions in the USFL conference championship game at a date and time yet to be determined.