Shiyazh Pete

Shiyazh Tastohyinya Pete (born May 25, 2003) is an American football player who is an offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the New Mexico State Aggies and the Kentucky Wildcats.

Pete is notable for being the first Navajo player to sign with an NFL team. He is also part-Salish.

Pete was born on May 25, 2003, in Ronan, Montana, on the Flathead Indian Reservation.^[1] His father, Natani, is from the Navajo and Salish tribes and hails from Arlee, Montana, while his mother, Geraldine, is full-blooded Navajo from Tółikan (Sweetwater), Arizona.^[2][3] Pete grew up in Missoula, Montana, where he practiced a variety of sports including judo, earning a yellow belt,^[4][5] and winning a gold medal at the 2011 Big Sky State Games in the 8–9 year old age group.^[6] His family moved around often; he later lived in Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.^[7] Pete first played football in the seventh grade.^[4] He also participated in basketball, wrestling, track and field, and cross country, but gravitated towards football.^[4]

Pete and his family settled in Apache County, Arizona, on the Navajo reservation around the time he started high school.^[4][5] He initially enrolled at Red Valley/Cove High School in Red Valley, Arizona, which did not have a football team, before his teachers recommended he switch to a larger school for both athletic and academic reasons.^[4] Pete transferred to nearby Shiprock High School in Shiprock, New Mexico, and joined the football team as a sophomore.^[5] By his junior year, he was a starter on both the offensive and defensive lines.^[5] As a senior, Pete was named first-team all-district on offense and second-team all-district on defense.^[2] However, the season was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,^[a] which affected his recruiting.^[4] Pete sent his highlights out to colleges,^[4] but he otherwise had few resources available to him on the reservation.^[5] He received several offers from NCAA Division II and Division III programs,^[4] including particular interest from Western New Mexico University.^[5]

Pete committed to play college football at New Mexico State University (NMSU) as a walk-on, signing with the Aggies on April 30, 2021.^[4][5]

As a freshman at NMSU in 2021, Pete was redshirted and spent time on the practice squad.^[8] In 2022, he began the season as a backup left tackle before being promoted to the starting job for the final nine games of the season,^[8] helping the Aggies win the Quick Lane Bowl while setting a program record with 25 rushing touchdowns as a team.^[1][2]

In 2023, Pete started all 15 games at left tackle, helping the Aggies to a 10–5 record and an appearance in the New Mexico Bowl.^[5] It marked the team's first 10-win season and first back-to-back bowl game berth since 1960.^[2] Pete also took part in NMSU's historic 34–10 upset win over Auburn at Jordan–Hare Stadium on November 18, 2023.^[8] Despite playing the season with a cast due to a dislocated thumb,^[8] he earned first-team All-Conference USA honors for his performance.^[9] Ahead of his redshirt junior season in 2024, Pete was named to the preseason watchlist for both the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Award.^[10][11] However, he suffered an ankle injury in fall camp and missed the first six games of the season.^[2][12] Upon his return to play, Pete started the final six games of the year at left tackle.^[2] He originally planned to remain at NMSU for his final year of eligibility, but decided to reconsider his options following the departure of his offensive line coach, Andrew Mitchell.^[13] After the 2024 season, Pete entered the NCAA transfer portal.^[13] He was rated as the No. 16 and No. 20 offensive tackle in the portal by On3.com and 247Sports, respectively.^[14][15] Pete received offers from programs such as Iowa State, Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Stanford, USC, and Vanderbilt.^[16] On January 19, 2025, he verbally committed to the Kentucky Wildcats.^[17]

Pete signed with the Wildcats on the final day of the winter transfer window. He enrolled at Kentucky in January 2025, in time for winter workouts and spring practices. Despite taking a visit to Vanderbilt, where his former head coach Jerry Kill had been hired, Pete told the Lexington Herald-Leader that he had chosen the Wildcats due to the team's pro-style offense.^[13] He was named the starting left tackle ahead of their 2025 season opener against Toledo.^[18] Pete went on to start all 12 games at left tackle that year, recording a team-high 35 knockdowns.^[2] He was also named one of four team captains for their game against Southeastern Conference (SEC) foe South Carolina.^[19]

Pete accepted an invite to play in the Hula Bowl to close his college career.^[20][21]

Pete participated in Kentucky's pro day on March 11, 2026.^[23][24] He attended a pre-draft visit with the Minnesota Vikings.^[25] Pete was ranked as the 36th-best offensive tackle prospect in the draft by ESPN analyst Jordan Reid, was ranked as the 46th-best offensive tackle by ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr., and was ranked as the 54th-best offensive tackle in the draft by The Athletic analyst Dane Brugler (creator of The Beast draft guide).^[26][27] He went unselected in the 2026 NFL draft.^[21]

Pete signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Dallas Cowboys soon thereafter.^[24][28] He had been scouted by Dallas offensive line coach Conor Riley at Kentucky's pro day the previous month.^[24] Pete, who immediately reported to rookie minicamp, was notably the first player from the Navajo Nation to sign with an NFL team.^[28] He was congratulated by Buu Nygren, the President of the Navajo Nation, who wrote: "Shiyazh Pete represents more than football. He represents where he comes from, the work it takes to get here, and the pride of our people."^[29]

Pete is a member of the Navajo and Salish tribes and draws inspiration from representing his community and his family.^[30] His father was in the U.S. Marine Corps before becoming a Captain in the U.S. Army, and his mother is an educator.^[3][5] Pete can speak basic Navajo;^[2] he has taken lessons about Navajo tradition, has danced at powwows,^[4] and has "dabbled" in the didgeridoo.^[31] "I’d say [tradition] plays a large part in my life. It's a part of my core beliefs as a person and something I’ll carry on with me for the rest of my life," he said in 2021.^[4] In his final collegiate season in 2025, Pete was one of five Native Americans playing Division I football that year, including the only one in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), according to the NCAA.^[32] He was also described by the Lexington Herald-Leader as "one of the highest profile Native American athletes in the country."^[13]

Pete has been noted for his respectful and kind demeanor and good sportsmanship,^[4][28] as well as his thoughtful responses to reporters.^[13][31][33] He entered NMSU as a computer science major, but changed it to communications after incoming head coach Jerry Kill moved practice time to the morning, interfering with his schedule.^[8] Regardless, Pete was soon awarded with a full scholarship by the new coaching staff.^[8] Upon his transfer to Kentucky, he continued taking online classes at NMSU to finish his bachelor's degree (which he earned in May 2025) while concurrently studying towards a graduate certificate in public administration at Kentucky.^[2][13]

Kentucky Sports Radio described Pete as "the most interesting man in the SEC".^[31] Aside from speaking English and Navajo, he also knows basic American Sign Language. Pete can solve a Rubik's Cube in less than a minute and his hobbies include chess, video games, reading history, and flying his DJI Mini 2 drone.^[34] He also enjoys hiking and being outdoors in general.^[35]

• Dallas Cowboys bio
• Kentucky Wildcats bio
• New Mexico State Aggies bio