UTSA star wide receiver pleads no contest in DWI case; given 15 months probation

SAN ANTONIO – A star wide receiver for the University of Texas at San Antonio football program has pleaded no contest to a DWI case, nearly a year after a 2022 vehicle crash near the UTSA campus.

Joshua Cephus, 22, appeared in County Court 1 on Thursday and was given 15 months probation. He is also required to pay $870 in fines and court costs, according to Bexar County court records. Despite the plea agreement, Cephus avoided jail time.

Following the December 9 wreck in the 7200 block of UTSA Boulevard, Cephus was suspended from the UTSA football program and missed the team’s bowl game. However, he later returned to the program in January.

In July, Cephus was arrested for DWI with a blood alcohol level over .15.

San Antonio police investigators stated that during the crash, Cephus was turning left at a green light but lost control of the vehicle, causing it to roll over.

Both Cephus and his passenger, another UTSA football player, declined treatment by paramedics at the scene.

Cephus, however, was not charged for the crash until seven months later, following a KSAT investigation into delays in the criminal case moving forward.

KSAT Investigates later uncovered that Cephus was accused of repeatedly violating the conditions of his pretrial release, including skipping tests on a portable breathalyzer device and failing to calibrate the device, according to court records.

Despite these legal issues, Cephus leads the Roadrunners in receptions, yards, and receiving touchdowns, and is among the leaders in all three categories for the American Athletic Conference. He also recently broke the school record for receptions in a career.

UTSA, with a five-game winning streak, is set to face Rice this Saturday in the Alamodome. The Roadrunners are part of a three-way tie for first place in the conference.