Silas Nacita, former standout at Baylor University and one of the leading offensive forces in the German Football League for the past three years, is changing countries and has signed to play in Italy with the Firenze Guelfi in Florence.
With the move, Nacita will be reunited with his former Baylor head coach, Art Briles:
“Playing for my old coach will be like closing a chapter that never was able to be finished and I want to help him be successful out here. It’s a totally different game and I want to help him any way I can.”
Silas Nacita is back together with his former coach from Baylor University, Art Briles Photo: Silas Nacita FB page
Nacita had a spectacular season with the Marburg Mercenaries in the German Football League in 2018. 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.
The player whom Briles once described as a “borderline stud” has really come into his own in Europe.
The Guellfi finished sixth in Italy’s 10-team Div. I in 2018, reaching the wild card playoffs where they were eliminated by the Bolzano Giants.
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