Tatsu Nakamura

Tatsu Nakamura

Tatsu at the University of Washington in 2035
No. 7 – Orange County Otters
Position:	Runningback
Personal information
Born:	(2015-02-19)February 19, 2015 (aged 47) Yokohama, Japan
Height:	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:	225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:	Bellevue High School
College:	University of Washington
ISFL Draft:	2037 / Round: 4 / Pick: 46
DSFL Draft:	2036 / Round: 4 / Pick: 31
Career history
Roster status:	Active

Tatsu Nakamura (born February 19, 2015) is an American football runningback for the Orange County Otters of the International Simulation Football League (ISFL). He played college football for the University of Washington.

Early years

Tatsu Nakamura was born in Yokohama, Japan to Shoyo Nakamura and Mitsuko Nakamura. Nakamura's father, Shoyo, was a successful first baseman for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars and his mother, Mitsuko, was a primary school teacher and English language interpreter. In 2024, at the age of 9, Nakamura moved to Seattle, Washington when his father came to terms to join the Seattle Mariners. Nakamura attended Bellevue High School in Bellevue, Washington. A precocious athelete, Nakamura clocked in with a 4.4 second 40-yard dash during just his sophomore year at BHS. Ray Saturday, an assistant coach and strength trainer for BHS said of Nakamura, "he's an absolute freak in the weight room. He was a pretty small guy when he came in, but he was working out every moment he could, getting stronger and faster every day." Nakamura was a key part of BHS teams that won back-to-back WIAA 4A state titles during his sophomore and junior years. After being named a captain of the team and having an All-State year at runningback and at safety, Nakamura led the team to their third straight WIAA 4A title game, losing to Camas High School in 43-42 nailbiter. Along with his football accomplishments Nakamura also graduated as the class salutatorian in 2033 and was certified as a 4th-dan (Japanese, yondan 四段) in kendo by the age of 18.

College career

After being ranked as a 4-star athlete prospect by MaxPreps Tatsu Nakamura was recruited by his local football program at the University of Washington to join their 2033 recruiting class as a running back. Nakamura found great success as a punt and kick returner in his freshman year, amassing over 1,500 total return yards and 5 total return TDs alongside his role as an occasional rotational player on offense. Nakamura capped off the season with a walk-off punt return touchdown against Arizona State in the PAC-12 conference championship game. His achievements for the year earned Nakamura All-Conference honors as a return specialist. After being named the starting running back for the 2034 season Nakamura took off on a blistering pace, racking up an average of over 200 yards and 2 touchdowns over the first six games of the season as the Huskies went 6-0, soaring to the number 1 ranking. The following week, playing against conference rival Washington State, Nakamura suffered a high ankle sprain and a concussion on the same play after getting hit by a blindside block. Despite being cleared for contacts after 6 weeks, just in time to return for the conference championship game, Nakamura did not suit up the rest of the season as the Huskies finished their season in a 24-17 loss to Boise State in the semifinals of the CFP. After months of speculation and media coverage about Nakamura's status with the team, the running back published an article in the Simulated Player's Tribune opening up about his battle with depression and anxiety during the season. Said Nakamura, "I had spent so long running as fast as I could away from myself and when I couldn't run anymore, it all caught up to me." The University of Washington announced that they would be working with players on the team, like Nakamura, to begin offering bolstered in-house counseling and mental health treatment on campus for students immediately. After returning to full health, Nakamura picked up right where he left off the following season, racking up 2,246 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns on the season, taking the Huskies to a 12-1 record entering the CFP. The Huskies suffered a 35-48 loss to Kansas State in the College Football Playoff National Championship game, ending Nakamura's final season with the University of Washington, as he declared for the 2036 DSFL Draft shortly after.

College career statistics

Career statistics			Returning			Rushing
Season	Team	Games	Punt Return Yards	Kick Return Yards	Return Touchdowns	Carries	Yards	Touchdowns
2033	UW	12	624	894	5	64	307	3
2034	UW	7	185	243	1	191	1297	13
2035	UW	12	149	379	2	317	2246	29
Total		31	958	1516	8	572	3850	45

Professional career

DSFL Career

After an up and down college career at the University of Washington, Tatsu Nakamura declared his intent for the 2036 DSFL Draft. Given his history with injury and mental health, Nakamura was given a low grade on most league analyst's draft boards. Many experts were questioning both his durability and commitment to the sport, citing his 2034 battle with injury and depression as well as a lackluster effort in the 2035 College Football Playoffs. Nakamura himself was cautious and soft-spoken in interviews with the media, telling SBC Sports, "I'm just taking everything day-by-day, step-by-step." Thirty-one picks into the draft, those draft analysts were surprised to see Tatsu Nakamura's name called by the Portland Pythons, making him the fourth running back off of the board. The Pythons', according to coverage after the draft by NSFL Insider Ian Rapopopop, had Nakamura much higher on their board than other DSFL teams, citing their own interviews and meetings with the young running back as the reasons that led to that decision. In the same report, Rapopopop said that one Python war room member even "snapped [the phone] in half in celebration after having sent the pick to the league office." Nakamura immediately went to work for the Pythons, taking the majority of the carries from veteran Paco McTaco in the season opener. Midway through the season, Nakamura had already helped a revamped Portland Pythons roster blow past the team's disastrous 2035 season's win total. After placing dead last in the league the previous season, Pythons fans were excited about a potential playoff berth. In a tight race for the final seed in the playoffs, Nakamura continued making strong contributions in a critical four-game stretch for the Pythons, getting to the endzone four times on the ground and scoring another touchdown on a punt return. Finishing 8-6, Portland locked up the fourth seed in the playoffs, setting the stage for a semifinal showdown in Kansas City. In a crazy game riddled with penalties and turnovers, Nakamura put up only 59 yards on 17 carries as the Pythons were taken down hard, 31-7. Nakamura refused to answer reporters' questions in the locker room after the game, responding only with, "We'll be back." While many players across the league were celebrating their seasons, putting up trash talk on Twitter, or putting in their two cents on the coming NSFL Draft, Nakamura disappeared for several months to train at his family's home in Yokohama.

ISFL Career

First Three Seasons

In the S22 NSFL Draft there was a great deal of speculation around the potential landing spots of the consensus top four running backs: White Goodman, Acura Skyline, Kichwa Jones, and Tatsu Nakamura. Given his experience and pedigree it was a surprise to few when White Goodman was taken by the new expansion franchise in Honolulu early in the second round. However, many fans and draft analysts were shocked to see Acura Skyline, whose success on the field with the London Royals had led him to renown as a media darling, fell to the bottom of the 4th round and fell down past the selections of both Jones and Nakamura to Austin and Orange County respectively. However, of these top four, it was Nakamura, the third back taken in the draft and the back viewed by most of the media as the worst prospect of those four, that found the greatest amount of early career success. Despite a heavy time-share with aging veteran Ludicolo Bigby and an offensive scheme still centered around the arm and legs of eventual Hall of Famer Franklin Armstrong, Nakamura kept working harder than any other back in the league, taking over as the clear number one rushing option for the Otters by the end of S22. In the S22 Ultimus it was Nakamura and Armstrong working in tandem to carry the offense and bring the team to a three-score lead in the third quarter. However, a heart-breaking come-from-behind effort from the underdog Yeti led to an eventual one point defeat for the Otters.

Moving into the following two seasons, the Otters would put everything into attempting to bring home one more Ultimus with Armstrong regressing into the moonlight of his career. While Armstrong still put up a pair of excellent seasons at quarterback, the offense clearly took a shift towards relying on Nakamura heavily. Nakamura led the league in carries and rushing yards in S23 and S24, leading in rushing TDs as well in S24. As each season progressed in the early era of Nakamura's career he picked up more and more steam as a staple figure of the league. Interestingly enough, the two most promising young players in the S22 class had just met in the Ultimus in their rookie seasons. The wide receiver William Lim had been stored deep in the rotation in S22, but he took off as Colorado's number one option in S23. Lim and Nakamura were locked in a tight competition for S23's Offensive Breakout Player of the Year. This led to Nakamura's second end-of-season loss to Lim. The two would continue to find increased success in lockstep as Lim took home the S24 Best WR award while Nakamura was crowned the Best RB of the season. It was Nakamura, however, that found greater postseason recognition in S24 as he came second in voting for the league's Offensive Player of the Year and finished as a finalist in the MVP voting. Moving into the next stage of his career, Nakamura was looking to put away any doubts and prove himself to be the best offensive player not just in his class, but also in the entirety of the league.

Pre-draft measurables

Ht	Wt	40‑yd dash	20‑ss	3‑cone	Vert jump	Broad
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	225 lb (102 kg)

Professional Career Statistics

DSFL Career Statistics

Career Statistics			Rushing					Receiving				Kick Returns				Punt Returns
Season	Team	GP	Att	Yds	Avg	Long	TD	Rec	Yds	Long	TD	Yds	Avg	Long	KR TD	Yds	Avg	Long	PR TD
2036 (S21)	POR	14	265	1256	4.7	70	10	5	23	8	0	328	13.7	32	0	179	9.0	53	1

ISFL Career Statistics

Career Statistics			Rushing					Receiving				Offensive Line
Season	Team	GP	Att	Yds	Avg	Long	TD	Rec	Yds	Long	TD	Pancakes	Sacks Allowed
2037 (S22)	OCO	13	211	822	3.9	20	5	6	37	11	1	14	2
2038 (S23)	OCO	16	330	1437	4.4	43	9	19	112	14	0	12	4
2039 (S24)	OCO	16	299	1233	4.1	17	12	37	224	17	1	13	3

Achievements and records

• 2038 Best Running Back Finalist
• 2038 Offensive Breakout Player of the Year Finalist
• 2039 Best Running Back Winner
• 2039 Offensive Player of the Year Runner-up
• 2039 MVP Finalist