The Arizona Wildcats have continued to build upon their success of the 2025 season on the recruiting trail. In early May, 3-star California wide receiver Braylen Ross announced his commitment to the Wildcats. On Friday, Brent Brennan added another offensive piece.
Wayne Shanks Jr., a 3-star running back from Houston, announced his decision to play college ball in Tucson.
Shanks has nice size, measuring at 5-foot-11 and around 200 pounds, which makes him a tough tackle. He plays for he Kinkaid School in Houston and has had himself a nice high school career so far. In 2025, Shanks racked up 1,787 yards on 242 carries with 24 touchdowns on the ground. He added 26 catches for 352 yards and 6 touchdowns through the air. As a sophomore in 2024, he still had massive production: 242 carries for 1,579 yards and 23 touchdowns and 15 catches for 223 yards and 4 scores.
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Shanks had 23 reported offers and chose the Wildcats over a plethora of other suitors: Kansas, Notre Dame, Baylor, Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Houston, Ole Miss and Texas A&M to name a few.
He ranks as a high 3-star in 247’s Internal and Composite ranking systems. Internally, 247Sports has Shanks as the No. 43 RB and the No. 82 player in Texas. In the Composite, he checks in as the No. 583 player nationally, the No. 40 RB and the 84th player in Texas.
Shanks was visited by offensive coordinator Seth Doege and running backs coach Lyle Moevao earlier this month.
You can view his junior season highlights below:
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Shanks is the fourth member of Arizona’s 2027 recruiting class, each of whom are on the offensive side.
