Pete big part of offensive line rebuild

Published 1:45 pm Thursday, July 31, 2025

New Mexico State transfer Shiyazh Pete is a “big” part of Kentucky’s rebuilt offensive line that UK coach Mark Stoops is counting on to help the Wildcats bounce back from last year’s 4-8 finish.

The 6-foot-8, 325-pound Pete played in 33 games with 30 starts the last three seasons. His father, Natani, is a captain in the United States Army and is of the Salish/Navajo tribe while his mother, Geraldine, is full-blooded Navajo. He speaks basic Navajo.

He did not have an easy start to his collegiate career. He was a walk-on at New Mexico State who did not play a snap in 2021. Two year later not only was he on scholarship, but he started all 15 games at left tackle for the Aggies when they finished 10-5 and won 34-10 at Auburn.

“That was a game I had been preparing for all season. I just wanted to have fun playing in a SEC stadium where so many great players have played,” Pete said. “I had never been part of anything like that and to outplay them and beat them the way we did was spectacular. I really enjoyed that.”

Pete knows many in the Navajo Nation look up to him because of what he’s already done and hopes to do at Kentucky this year.

 “A lot of people reach out to me. It’s a very close knit community within the Navajo Nation. I’ve had fans come up and introduce themselves,” he said. “I’m recognizing that I’m a public figure, so I have to conduct my business in a professional manner and compete with class.”

Lexington does not have a big Navajo base to embrace Pete.

“I realize there’s really no one else here but I have a chance to be a representative of our nation in this frontier,” Pete said.

One plus for Pete is that he likes hiking and being outdoors. But his biggest plus could be what he adds to the football team. He missed the first six games last season with a foot injury but allowed just five quarterback pressures and two sacks on 193 pass-blocking plays in the six games he played at left tackle.