(S25) - PT 3 - Early Decisions

[qWest]

After making it to two consecutive WIAA 4A title games with Bellevue High School, Tatsu Nakamura had amassed a formidable reputation and a very respectable 4 star grade from MaxPreps going into his senior year. He spent a great deal of his summer and his weekends during the season traveling to what seemed like every single Division 1 college in the country. As a premiere athlete, boasting a 4.2 second 40 yard dash time and elite field vision, Nakamura found himself discussing a variety of different roles with the coaching staffs during his visits, with some even discussing trying him at receiver of defensive back. While he definitely wanted to find a program where he could lead in the backfield, it wasn't the idea of position swapping that put Nakamura off of almost every program he went to go visit. He found himself struggling even during the short trips feeling so far a way from home. When it came to his final visit before signing day, at his hometown University of Washington, there was something that immediately felt so much better about being in the city that he'd grown to call home, especially since he knew he'd be much closer to his second home in Japan than he'd be playing for an SEC school.

After committing to UW and eventually coming on campus early for spring training, Nakamura had a great time being able to still visit his parents on the weekends and having the know-how of the city to even show some of the seniors some new and amazing places to eat or spend time during the offseason. He wasn't yet able to find a lead role in the backfield during his freshman year, but the coaching staff still found ways to get him the ball as a returner, a role for which he was even recognized on the All-Pac-12 team at the end of the year.