Brooklyn Cheek Eyeing Starting Gig in Wyoming Secondary

LARAMIE -- The word "probably" was all he needed to hear.

Ecstatically rocking back and forth in the passenger seat of the car, accompanied by a flurry of fist pumps and emphatically repeating the word "yes," told the tale. Brooklyn Cheek, for all intents and purposes, just received the green light he'd been waiting for from his mother, Sarah.

Reluctantly, she was allowing her then 10-year-old son to sign up for football.

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That moment of unbridled joy -- which even included some fruit chucking -- was caught on her cellphone camera.

"Yeah, the video where I was throwing the orange around," Cheek recalled with a laugh. "I wasn't going to be allowed to play football until high school. That's when she finally let me play tackle football because I was already playing flag for a year or two."

Safe to say he loves the game.

"Oh, yeah," he added. "Always have."

That passion would eventually lead to a prep career at Central Catholic that included 152 tackles, nine interceptions and 23 pass breakups at the safety spot. He helped lead his team to three consecutive Valley Oak League titles and a berth in the 2-AA state title game during his sophomore season.

Arizona and Arizona State took notice. So did Oregon, Washington State, Utah State and UNLV. Cheek received official offers from a majority of the former Pac-12 Conference, but the Oakdale, Calif., product ultimately chose Berkeley.

"That's our SEC out there," he said.

The former three-star recruit, who at one time was ranked as high as 39th in the country at his position, according to 247sports.com, spent just one semester at Cal, not seeing any action as the Golden Bears capped a six-win season in their first year as a member of the ACC.

He simply wanted a shot. He got that opportunity more than 1,100 miles away in Laramie.

Thought it wasn't immediate, Wyoming had the luxury of experience in the secondary last fall, Cheek's number was eventually called in Week 6.

Jason Petrino delivered the news just hours before kickoff against San Jose State that Cheek would be entering the starting lineup, replacing an injured Jones Thomas. He called the moment "surreal." He grew up just down the road from SJSU's campus. His best friend, though he didn't travel, was also on the Spartans' roster.

The only thing missing was an orange to throw.

"They played that 'high altitude warning' (on the jumbotron) and I was like, 'Oh, shoot, I'm in college football now,'" he said, flashing his trademark smile.

How did that experience unfold?

Danny Scudero, who led the nation in receiving yards in 2025, reeled in a record-breaking four touchdowns. That damage came on just six catches. He amassed 151 yards in the process.

Oh, yeah. Those were Scudero's first-half stats.

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None of those explosives, Cheek laughed, happened on his watch. That was confirmed by Petrino.

"I don't know if anybody covered him that night," he joked. "Danny Scudero, thankfully, dropped some balls. That's what happened that night."

Cheek was on the field for all 85 defensive snaps, tallying five tackles. He was targeted four times in the passing game, according to Pro Football Focus. He allowed one grab for nine yards.

What did his coach think of his debut?

"He didn't give me a reason to take him out," Petrino said, adding adrenaline led to some miscues, but overall, it was mostly "positive."

Jay Sawvel called the outing a confidence booster for Cheek. Now, he's complimented that by adding even more size and strength to his 6-foot-1, 204-pound frame. Wyoming's third-year head coach was left with another impression, too.

"You see why this guy signed at a then-PAC-12 school," Sawvel said. "You can see him being a very good player, and how that could happen."

Cheek had a front-row seat to Scudero's first score of the game. He was playing centerfield as the 5-foot-9 speedster ran a simple go-route down the east sideline inside War Memorial Stadium. Nickelback Desman Hearns, who later admitted he underestimated the wheels on the sophomore, was easily outraced to the pylon as SJSU quarterback Walker Eget dropped in a perfect 43-yard strike.

"That was the play where I was like, 'All right, I gotta lock in and play my game,'" Cheek said.

Did he ever find himself one-on-one with Scudero?

"The second to last play, I had to guard him on a corner," he recalled. "And I'll be lying if I said I wasn't a little worried about that play. I was like, 'Oh, geez, here he comes, running at me.'

"You know, this is a guy that's probably running low 4.4 or 4.3 (40-yard dash times)."

To add to that pressure-packed moment, Wyoming was leading by just seven and would eventually pull off the 35-28 stunner thanks in most part to a defensive and special teams touchdown, along with a highlight reel 28-yard scoring effort from running back Terron Kellman.

Thomas would return to the lineup the following Saturday at Air Force. Cheek was once again relegated to the bench -- and special teams' duty -- and would take just six more defensive snaps the rest of the season.

That could change in a big way in 2026.

Yes, Thomas is back in the mix, but there is an opening at the strong side that Cheek has his eye on. Petrino said facing spread offenses is a strength and that he's better suited to play in space than near the line of scrimmage. The sophomore says he's comfortable at either spot.

If there's one main takeaway from that memorable October night on the high plains, it's this: He wants to play.

"Honestly, that was probably the most excited I've ever been to play in a football game in my entire life," Cheek said, adding his grandparents and mom were in attendance that night. "I was cheesing on the sideline. I couldn't stop smiling.

"I was just super excited to get in there. Once I did, I was like, 'You know what, it's just football, the game I've loved since I was throwing oranges around the car.'"