UNT receiver Grayson O'Bara stepping out of superintendent mom’s shadow with big return to Denton

Grayson O’Bara always toed the line during his days as a standout wide receiver at Guyer High School.

That’s just who O’Bara is. Focusing on doing everything he was supposed to — and doing it to the best of his ability — is how he became an elite player for one of the top programs in the state, not to mention an excellent student who carried a 4.2 GPA in his senior year of high school.

All the hard work helped O’Bara live up to some lofty expectations. They come with the territory when your mother is one of more influential figures in education in town.

Susannah Holbert O’Bara served in various leadership capacities in Denton ISD before moving up in 2024 to become the first female superintendent in the district’s 142-year history.

“Always,” Grayson O’Bara said of if he felt pressure to be a model student. “There are naturally high expectations for our family name.

“If there’s attention on you, you’d better be doing the right thing.”

O’Bara usually did, which led him on what has been a unique college football journey that has come full circle this fall.

Not many high school athletes have what it takes to play in the Ivy League, or to play at the major college level. Grayson O’Bara is one of the few to have done both, starting with four seasons at Dartmouth before landing at North Texas as a graduate transfer this fall.

It all adds up to what has been a dream scenario for the O’Bara clan. The crew is back together in Denton, where Grayson is building on the family’s legacy.

O’Bara made one of the biggest plays in UNT’s thrilling 45-44 win at Tulsa this season when he caught a 22-yard strike from Tayven Jackson on the opening play of overtime. Jackson scored the game-winning touchdown on a 1-yard run three plays later.

“It’s been a blast,” said Susannah O’Bara, who happens to be a UNT graduate. “My family’s in town. We all grew up here. When Grayson was at Guyer, there were 20 of us at every game.”

Grayson O’Bara played plenty of games without family in the stands during his time at Dartmouth. It was an all-day haul just to get to Dartmouth for Susannah O’Bara, who had to fly to Boston before driving the remaining two hours to Hanover, New Hampshire. And that doesn’t count the trip back.

She was at Tulsa for Grayson’s key catch and a landmark moment in his career after playing four seasons on the FCS level in a far different environment than what he experienced at Guyer — and this fall at UNT.

“The people are different and so is Dartmouth,” the 6-foot-1, 191-pound speedster said. “The Dartmouth community is really good. I was in a good spot, but it’s not the Southern football culture I grew up with when I was going to Guyer.

“It’s been exciting to come back to that Texas football life again.”

Bumps in the road

The journey Grayson O’Bara endured to get back to where he started in Denton has made reaching the destination all the more rewarding.

He nearly lost his arm before his freshman year at Guyer when he was involved in an ATV accident that broke a bone and severed multiple arteries. And that was just for starters.

O’Bara broke his collarbone his sophomore season and pulled a hamstring as a junior. That’s not exactly a formula for landing an opportunity to play on the college level.

O’Bara’s prowess as a student offered him a path.

“I really didn’t get the opportunities in recruiting that I wanted, but all the Ivy League schools were after me,” O’Bara said. “It reached a point where I thought, ‘This is a great opportunity.’ It was a 40-year decision more than a four-year one.

“It ended up being great for me because of the connections that come with going to Dartmouth.”

There’s little doubt about it now.

O’Bara played in 23 games and started 11 in four years while piling up 63 receptions for 844 yards and four touchdowns. He was at his best with the Big Green last fall when caught 44 passes for 590 yards and two touchdowns.

“I was blessed to have that opportunity,” O’Bara said. “I was a little skeptical of it at first, going 20 hours away from home, but I fell in love with it.

“It was fun to experience a new culture up there.”

The differences between the Ivy League and major college football are part of the reason O’Bara is back in Denton. The Ivy League has a strict rule that athletes have four years to play four seasons.

There are no redshirt years, not even for situations like O’Bara experienced where he sat out his freshman season due to injury. He was done at Dartmouth following four years at the school but still had two seasons of eligibility remaining after graduating at the semester break.

O’Bara was in new UNT coach Neal Brown’s office a short time later.

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UNT receiver Grayson O'Bara stepping out of superintendent mom’s shadow with big return to Denton

Returning home

Brown and his staff were busy chasing players like Jackson, linebacker Aaron Alexander and other headliners in a transfer class of 52 players at the time.

“Grayson recruited us as much as we recruited him,” Brown said. “I’m really pleased that he wanted to come here.”

O’Bara admits now that his phone wasn’t exactly ringing constantly with coaches offering opportunities to continue his career. He decided UNT was a terrific fit and made a push.

“I was in their face and didn’t leave them alone until they gave me an opportunity,” O’Bara said. “I felt like I could play at this level.”

That’s just what O’Bara has done while carving out a role in a deep group of wide receivers as well as on special teams. He’s listed as a co-starter at UNT’s slot receiver position with Cal transfer Josiah Martin.

O’Bara didn’t record a catch in UNT’s first three games but has five receptions for 88 yards over the course of the Mean Green’s last three outings. Brown called O’Bara maybe UNT’s fastest player when it comes to straight-line speed.

He was one of the last players UNT elected to take out of the portal, but he’s nearly always the first player down the field on kickoff coverage.

“Grayson’s been a huge addition on the field, but he also sets the standard off it,” Brown said. “He works extremely hard, takes care of his body like a pro and has helped lead and direct that receiver unit.”

O’Bara has certainly made an impression on his UNT teammates along the way, including Jackson. The two have become close friends, roommates and hunting partners in the last few months.

“Grayson’s here at 6 a.m. and is the first one in,” Jackson said. “He might be a little small, but he has some wiggle to him, is always in the right spots and knows the game.”

That goes with the territory playing for Guyer, one of the state’s elite programs that turns out a host of college prospects annually.

“Playing for Guyer was a fantastic experience for me,” O’Bara said. “I had great coaches and great teammates.

“There was a lot of competition in practice, and our district was very competitive. That set up me for success at the next level.”

Learning from mom

Having a role model like Susannah O’Bara to guide him played a key role as well.

“She’s a very dedicated woman,” O’Bara said. “I’ve gotten to see her in a leadership role my whole life, which has helped me a ton. I’ve tried to be more like her in everything I do.”

That includes being ambitious. O’Bara graduated from Dartmouth with a degree in politics, philosophy and economics.

Along the way, he and a few of his friends at Dartmouth started Dotra Compliance, a company that helps trucking outfits track and manage the paperwork they are required to handle to comply with governmental entities.

“When they first started and he told us about it, I would listen and encourage him like any other mother would, but I didn’t know how much they understood about business,” Susannah O’Bara said. “A year later, I’m completely impressed with his commitment and dedication.

“He’s learned to have a continuous improvement mindset.”

That approach has helped Grayson O’Bara throughout his career and landed him the chance to finish his career at UNT after a stop at Dartmouth that shaped him.

He’s even on a billboard now. UNT has a partnership with DATCU credit union, which has put a series of players on a sign near the school.

“I get a text every week from a buddy or a coach or someone else who drives by saying, ‘I just saw your big old head on that billboard.’

“It’s funny to see it up there when I’m driving.”

The experience has been just what O’Bara hoped for when he decided to come home to Denton after his stint at Dartmouth. He has made who is the most well-known member of the O’Bara clan in town a debate.

Brown didn’t want to weigh in and deferred to his receiver.

“She’s a big figure in this town for sure and might be more popular than I am,” Grayson O’Bara said. “I’m not sure if people come up knowing me for me or know me because of my mom sometimes. It’s probably because of my mom.”

The opportunity to continue the debate for the rest of this season, and maybe one more, back in his hometown is an opportunity O’Bara relishes.

“It’s worked out,” O’Bara said. “Most of the time in life, if you keep putting your energy and focus into something, eventually, the right things will come about. Luckily, they did for me.”