John Ursua facts for kids
Ursua at the 2018 Mountain West Conference media day
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||
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| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | January 17, 1994 Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, U.S. |
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| Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 182 lb (83 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Cedar City (UT) | ||||
| College: | Hawaii (2015-2018) | ||||
| NFL Draft: | 2019 / Round: 7 / Pick: 236 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||
John Ursua (born January 17, 1994), also known as "J-Dub", is an American professional football player. He plays as a wide receiver. Currently, he is a free agent, meaning he is not signed with a team. Before playing professionally, he was a star player for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors college team.
Contents
Early Life and High School Sports
John Ursua was born in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, on January 17, 1994. He is the youngest of five children. In high school, John was a talented athlete in many sports. He earned 12 varsity letters, which means he played on the main team for four years in three different sports. He excelled in football, baseball, and track and field.
John went to several high schools. He attended Kealakehe High School in Hawaii and Westlake High School in Utah. He graduated from Cedar High School in Utah in 2012.
College Football Journey
John Ursua was a very good quarterback in high school. Experts like Rivals.com and 247Sports ranked him as one of the top players in Utah. He first planned to play for BYU. However, Norm Chow, who was a coach at the University of Utah at the time, saw John's skills as a wide receiver.
When Norm Chow became the head coach for the Hawaii team, he offered John a scholarship. After high school and before starting college football, John served a two-year mission trip. He went to Paris, France, for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Starting at Hawaii (2015-2016)
When John first joined the Hawaii team in 2015, he was "redshirted." This means he practiced with the team but did not play in games. This allowed him to train and get stronger without using up a year of his college playing time.
In his first playing season, 2016, John played in all 14 games. He started 13 of them as a slot receiver. He caught 53 passes for 652 yards and scored 3 touchdowns. He also ran the ball a few times, scoring his first rushing touchdown against Nevada. He was also the main player for returning punts. Even though Hawaii had a losing record that year, they made it to a bowl game. They won the 2016 Hawaii Bowl against Middle Tennessee with a score of 52–35.
Injuries and Big Plays (2017)
Before the 2017 season, John was recognized as a player to watch. He was on lists for the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year and the Fred Biletnikoff Award. This award goes to the best wide receiver in the country.
He played in six games before getting a season-ending injury in October. At that time, he was leading the nation in receiving yards per game. Even with missing half the season, John still led his team in receiving yards (667) and touchdowns (5). In one amazing game against UMass, he caught 12 passes for 272 yards. This was the most receiving yards by any player in a single game in 2017. It was also one of the best games ever for a Hawaii player.
Star Season (2018)
The 2018 season was John's best. He led the entire nation in receiving touchdowns with 16! He also ranked fifth nationally in receiving yards with 1,343. He was the top player in the Mountain West Conference for receiving touchdowns and yards.
John had seven games where he gained over 100 receiving yards. In five games, he scored multiple touchdowns. He was named to the all-Mountain West first-team. He was also a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award and a finalist for the Polynesian Player of the Year. He was named the team's Most Valuable Player. John had at least one catch in 30 games in a row. He missed the 2018 Hawaii Bowl due to an injury.
John finished his college career as one of Hawaii's top ten players. He ranks ninth in career catches (189) and receiving yards (2,662). He is seventh in career receiving touchdowns (24).
College Statistics
| Year | Games Played | Rushing Stats | Receiving Stats | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attempts | Yards Gained | Yards Lost | Net Yards | Average per Run | Touchdowns | Longest Run | Average per Game | Receptions | Receiving Yards | Average per Catch | Touchdowns | Longest Catch | Average per Game | ||
| 2016 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0.6 | 53 | 652 | 12.3 | 3 | 44 | 46.6 |
| 2017 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 667 | 14.2 | 5 | 85 | 111.2 |
| 2018 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0.3 | 89 | 1,343 | 15.1 | 16 | 80 | 103.3 |
| Total | 6 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 0.3 | 189 | 2,662 | 13.7 | 24 | 85 | 87.3 | |
Professional Football Career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 9+1⁄8 in (1.76 m) |
178 lb (81 kg) |
29+7⁄8 in (0.76 m) |
9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) |
4.56 s | 1.58 s | 2.65 s | 4.16 s | 6.77 s | 37 in (0.94 m) |
10 ft 0 in (3.05 m) |
17 reps | |
| Values from NFL Combine | ||||||||||||
Even though he could have played one more year in college, John Ursua decided to enter the 2019 NFL draft on Christmas Day 2018. The Seattle Seahawks picked him in the seventh round as the 236th player chosen overall.
John was the 72nd player from Hawaii to be drafted into the NFL. He was also the third player from Hawaii ever picked by the Seahawks. Another Hawaii player, Jahlani Tavai, was also drafted in 2019. This was the first time since 2011 that Hawaii had more than one player drafted in the same year.
Time with the Seattle Seahawks (2019-2021)
In the 2019 season, John played in three regular season games. He caught one pass for 11 yards in a game against the San Francisco 49ers.
In August 2020, John was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, but he was back with the team a few days later. He was later released by the Seahawks but then re-signed to their practice squad. In January 2021, he signed a new contract with the team.
Unfortunately, John suffered a serious injury in 2021. He tore his ACL (a ligament in the knee) during a preseason game. This injury meant he had to miss the entire 2021 season.
Playing in Canada (2023-2024)
After his time with the Seahawks, John moved to play in the Canadian Football League (CFL). In September 2023, he joined the practice team for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He was released later that month.
In December 2023, John signed with the BC Lions, another CFL team. However, he was placed on a reserve list in May 2024 and then released by the team in July 2024.
Personal Life
John Ursua is an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As part of his faith, he went on mission trips to France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Because of these trips, he can speak French. He also knows how to speak Hawaiian.
Both of John's older brothers also played college football. They played for the Southern Utah team.
