John Ursua leaving UH to turn pro | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

1/2

Swipe or click to see more

JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM

Hawaii’s John Ursua was a first-team All-Mountain West Conference pick this season.

2/2

Swipe or click to see more

JAMM AQUINO/JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM

Hawaii wide receiver John Ursua leads the nation in touchdown catches with 16.

Select an option below to continue reading this premium story.

Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading.

Get unlimited access

From as low as $12.95 /mo.

Subscribe Now

University of Hawaii slotback John Ursua told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser he has decided to forgo his senior season and apply for the 2019 National Football League Draft.

“I think mostly just my age and productivity this year kind of led me to this decision,” said Ursua, who will turn 25 next month. “It was a hard decision, for sure, but it was a decision I wanted to make.”

This season, Ursua is the national leader in touchdown receptions (16), fifth in receiving yards (1,343), eighth in receiving yards per game (103.3) and 10th in catches per game (6.8).

Ursua said he will sign a release from UH next week. He also has reached an agreement for Carter Chow to serve as his agent. Chow, the son of former UH coach Norm Chow, is with Yee & Dubin, a firm that represents quarterback Tom Brady and receiver Julian Edelman of the New England Patriots and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo of the San Francisco 49ers. Former UH safety Trayvon Henderson also is a client.

“Having all that background and being around players of that caliber made it easier” to go with Carter Chow, Ursua said. “His message came across the best for me.”

Ursua, who was born and reared on the Big Island, moved to Utah as a high school sophomore. After graduating, he worked for a year, then spent two years on a church mission in Paris before joining the Rainbow Warriors in July 2015. Entering this season, Ursua said, “I was set in stone I wasn’t going to come back (in 2019).” But he began to waver slightly near the end of the season.

“At the end of the day, I thought long and hard about it, and I felt going was the best decision,” Ursua said. “I talked to my family and they’re all supportive.”

Ursua said he notified UH coach Nick Rolovich on Monday. “It was really hard,” Ursua said. “I thanked him for everything he did for me. It was definitely a bittersweet moment having to tell Rolo. I asked if he could respect and support me in this decision. He said: ‘Make Hawaii proud,’ and ‘Merry Christmas.’ He said he’ll be behind me.”

Ursua said he still is recovering from a hamstring injury — the stated reason he missed the SoFi Hawaii Bowl on Saturday — but is hopeful of resuming training in another week or two.