Joshua Cephus

Senior wide receiver for UTSA. 2023: 89 catches, 1,151 receiving yards, 10 TD.

WR · UTSA · Sr. · #2

6′3″ · 185 lb · Spring, TX

CFB Index 90 · #14 of 497 WRsHigh confidenceAll-Conf 1st teamUTSA 2023 alumnus

Recruiting

2★

WR recruit

No. 2839 nationally · Signed with UTSA

Statement game9 rec · 163 yds · 1 TDvs South Florida (FBS) · W 49-21

Top 1% receiving yards game since 2021.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

4 wide receiver for UTSA. 2023: 89 catches, 1,151 receiving yards, 10 TD.

Signed as a 2-star recruit to UTSA in 2019.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Five seasons at UTSA, 3,639 receiving yards, a first-team All-Conference season (2023) — his college career is complete.

His career

Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.

The week the volume broke through — put up 183 yds vs East Carolina.East Carolina · W 41-272023

20194 games

Signed with UTSA2-star out of Dekaney

202011 games

The role got bigger.

All-Conference USAhonorable_mention

202113 games

All-Conference USAhonorable_mention

202213 games

All-Conference USAsecond

202313 games

All-AACfirst

Career arc

Recruit

★★

#2839 national

CFB

College

UTSA

2019–2023

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

7 honors · 1 category

🥈

ALL-AAC · 1ST TEAM

All-AAC 1st team (2023)

Coaching lineage · 2019–2023

2 coaches

2019

Frank Wilson

UTSA

2020–2023

Jeff Traylor

UTSA

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Frank Wilson → Jeff Traylor. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

2023 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2019UTSA4-8HC: Frank Wilson · Run-leaning

2020UTSA7-5HC: Jeff Traylor · Run-leaning, fast tempo

2021UTSA12-2HC: Jeff Traylor · Run-leaning, fast tempo

2022UTSA11-3HC: Jeff Traylor · Balanced

2023UTSA9-4HC: Jeff Traylor · Run-leaning

Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

90All-America level #14 of 497?

High confidence12 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: receptions (98th percentile). Strength: rec yards (97th percentile). Concern: rush yards (2nd percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

EPA / target#137 / 639 · 79th pct

1.02

Catch rate#174 / 639 · 73rd pct

89.7%

TD rate#215 / 639 · 66th pct

8.0%

Yards / catch#286 / 639 · 55th pct

12.6

Explosive rate#314 / 639 · 51st pct

13.8%

Box-score rates (7)

Receptions#11 / 566 · 98th pct

Rec yards#16 / 566 · 97th pct

1151

Long catch#17 / 566 · 97th pct

Rec TDs#16 / 566 · 96th pct

Yards / catch#286 / 566 · 49th pct

12.9

Rush TDs#54 / 294 · 41st pct

Rush yards#289 / 294 · 2nd pct

-9

Season trend

Last seasonThis season

EPA / target

53rd → 79th percentile

Explosive rate

38th → 51st percentile

Catch rate

41st → 73rd percentile

TD rate

40th → 66th percentile

Yards / catch

42nd → 55th percentile

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2023 season · 13 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Home6g	6.7	96.3	16.4	1.0
Road7g	7.0	81.9	11.7	0.6

First half vs Second half

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Weeks 1-77g	7.4	77.6	10.3	1.0
Weeks 8+6g	6.2	101	18.0	0.5

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Jeff Traylor

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2023

All-Conference 1st team

First team in his league at the position.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

90 · #14 of 497 WRs

Two-star recruit. Now #14 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2023	UTSA	89	1,151	12.9	10	--
2022	UTSA	87	985	11.3	6	--
2021	UTSA	71	803	11.3	6	--
2020	UTSA	58	547	9.4	5	--
2019	UTSA	8	153	19.1	1	--
Career		313	3,639	11.6	28	--

Season	Team
2023	UTSA	1	-9	--	16	--
2022	UTSA	3	10	12	36	--
2021	UTSA	2	11	--	--	--
2020	UTSA	2	-13	--	--	--
2019	UTSA	--	--	--	--	--
Career		8	-1	12	52	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2023

W 20–13

vs Texas State

7 rec · 40 yds

A wire-to-wire battle — won by 7 at home.

With F. Harris — 214 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 56.7 · 15 rush yds (12 car) · L. Dean — 44 AVG · 2 IN 20 · 49 LONG

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 9 · East Carolina · 2&10 · Q2 · EPA +7.04Frank Harris pass complete to Joshua Cephus for 84 yds for a TD (Chase Allen KICK)
Week 12 · South Florida · 2&9 · Q2 · EPA +6.08Frank Harris pass complete to Joshua Cephus for 64 yds for a TD (Chase Allen KICK)
Week 1 · Marshall · 2&15 · Q2 · EPA +5.02Owen McCown pass complete to Joshua Cephus for 44 yds for a TD (Chase Allen KICK)
Week 3 · Army · 3&3 · Q3 · EPA +4.48Joshua Cephus 44 Yd pass from Eddie Lee Marburger (Chase Allen Kick)
Week 1 · Marshall · 3&11 · Q3 · EPA +3.82Owen McCown pass complete to Joshua Cephus for 27 yds to the MRSH 37 for a 1ST down
Week 9 · East Carolina · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +3.56Frank Harris pass complete to Joshua Cephus for 65 yds to the ECU 10 for a 1ST down
Week 1 · Houston · 3&10 · Q4 · EPA +3.46Frank Harris pass complete to Joshua Cephus for 20 yds for a TD (Tate Sandell KICK)
Week 6 · Temple · 3&12 · Q3 · EPA +3.03Frank Harris pass complete to Joshua Cephus for 16 yds to the UTSA 48 for a 1ST down
Week 13 · Tulane · 3&15 · Q3 · EPA +2.97Frank Harris pass complete to Joshua Cephus for 16 yds to the TULN 24 for a 1ST down
Week 6 · Temple · 2&7 · Q2 · EPA +2.74Frank Harris pass complete to Joshua Cephus for 17 yds for a TD (Chase Allen KICK)

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2023 season · 13 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	L 14-17@ Houston	9	123	13.7	1	28
Wk 2	W 20-13vs Texas State	7	40	5.7	0	12
Wk 3	L 29-37vs Army	8	84	10.5	1	44
Wk 4	L 14-45@ Tennessee	7	58	8.3	1	21
Wk 6	W 49-34@ Temple	7	81	11.6	1	17
Wk 7	W 41-20vs UAB	7	55	7.9	2	11	2 TD catches
Wk 8	W 36-10@ Florida Atlantic	7	57	8.1	0	12
Wk 9	W 41-27vs East Carolina	4	183	45.8	1	84	Season-high 183 yds
Wk 10	W 37-29@ North Texas	6	69	11.5	0	28
Wk 11	W 34-14vs Rice	5	53	10.6	1	14
Wk 12	W 49-21vs South Florida	9	163	18.1	1	64	163-yard receiving day
Wk 13	L 16-29@ Tulane	6	83	13.8	0	24
Bowl	W 35-17@ Marshall	7	102	14.6	1	44
Total		89	1151	13.9	10	84

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

Joshua Cephus

20194 games

202011 games

202113 games

202213 games

202313 games

2023 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

All-Conference 1st team

Career stats

Signature game

Signature plays

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Possession Receiver

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