Since the age of four, Joshua Cephus has had a football in his hands. Cephus grew up playing football with his two older brothers in Houston, Texas.
"I always knew I wanted to play football," Cephus explained. "I grew up in the game and it just became a part of me."
Coming to UTSA was an easy choice for Cephus because it was close to home and the coaches made the team feel like family.
"The people in San Antonio are good people and the family environment that the coaches and the school have created makes it feel like I'm home playing with my brothers again."
Cephus has earned a single-digit jersey for the second year in a row this season.
"Receiving a single-digit jersey was a really big deal for me," Cephus said. "It was one of the first times I was recognized as a leader in that capacity. Being recognized by my whole team, that really helps me to know that they are watching me and looking up to me. I try to make sure to lead by example and be the best that I can be."
Lead by example he does.
Cephus was recently added to the Biletnikoff Award watch list. This award recognizes the college football season's most outstanding FBS receiver. He expressed his excitement and gratitude for the recognition but noted that "I don't really pay attention to awards or anything like that, because I just believe that if I play hard and work hard then everything will just take care of itself. I just believe that God has a plan for everything and all I can do is do my best."
Cephus' best is apparent in his stats. He has 203 career catches that he has turned into 2,245 yards and 16 touchdowns, putting him in the top three on the program's all-time chart in all three categories.
This season alone, Cephus has caught 61 passes for 692 yards and three touchdowns. He has logged three 100-yard games, and in one of the most recent games against North Texas, he had a career-best 11 receptions, which is the second most in a game in the history of the program. Known for being sure-handed, he has not dropped a pass in 85 targets, the most without a drop in the FBS this season.
Cephus is looking forward to the rest of this season and hopes to continue to play football at the professional level after he graduates with a multidisciplinary studies degree with a focus in psychology.
As far as his career goals? He wants to give back in the same way those who helped him grow up with a love for the game of football.
"I want to be able to work with kids in middle school and high school," Cephus said. "I feel like I can make a positive impact on any kid's life during that time. I just want to have a big impact for children."
