Austria: Danube Dragons add a true wild card for the playoffs with signing of Silas Nacita

The Danube Dragons have announced the signing of one of the most exciting players in Europe over the past decade, running back/wide receiver Silas Nacita, who joins the team in time for the Austrian Football League playoffs.

Nacita, a former standout at Baylor University and one of the leading offensive forces in both Italy’s Division 1 and the German Football League for a number of years, is excited to be back after three years away:

“I am so excited to be back. I love everything about football in Europe, especially the purity of the players here. This may sound strange, but this is like a healing experience for me. For the past couple of years, I have been away from it, and it feels so good to be here again.”

The last time Nacita played in Europe was in 2019 when he led Firenze Guelfi in Florence, Italy to the Italian final. Nacita’s 2019 regular season stats with the Guelfi were outstanding as he rushed for 1,146 yards and a league-best 20 TD while also throwing for 534 yards and another eight touchdowns. He kept it up in the playoffs. He rushed for a total of 687 yards and nine touchdowns in the wild card round, semifinal and Italian championship game while throwing for 468 yards and four more touchdowns. His team eventually fell in the championship final, losing to the Milano Seamen. In 2018, he had a spectacular season with the Marburg Mercenaries in the German Football League. He led the league in all-purpose yards averaging 192.6 per game. He rushed for 808 yards and 10 TDs, passed for 811 yards and 12 TDs, caught 65 passes for 1,005 yards and 15 TDs, returned 10 punts for 140 yards and a TD, returned 28 kickoffs for 743 yards and punted 44 times for 682 yards (38.2 yard average).

Whew.

With the Mercenaries relying almost solely at times on Nacita, the team came within a game of qualifying for the GFL playoffs.

In 2017, he was the fourth leading rusher in the GFL in 2017 while playing for the Frankfurt Universe with 1,394 yards and 15 touchdowns but averaging 7.5 yards a carry. In 2016, his first year in Europe playing for the Mercenaries he rushed for 1,581 yards and 21 touchdowns, good for third in the country.

When the 5’11”, 200 lb former Baylor University standout originally signed in Germany with Marburg for the 2016 season, it created headlines throughout US college football and was even reported in Sports Illustrated.

Nacita’s background is different to say the least.

He went from homeless as a high school student-athlete to walk on at Baylor as a star to a non player in a highly reported NCAA violations scandal which shunted him into football purgatory.

Through it all, he maintained his positive approach and revived his football career in Europe. Now he returns under different circumstances but with the same sense of excitement as he had six years ago.