Anthony Pegues made a life-altering decision when he was just 14 years old. Four years later, the trust he instilled in Clyde Anderson is paying off.
Pegues grew up in the small Mississippi town of Pontotoc. He always loved football and had a goal of playing in college but he worried that he would lack exposure in his hometown. Anderson, Pegues’ uncle, convinced him that Texas high school football would be the toughest test his nephew could encounter. If Pegues could learn how to star in the Lone Star State, college offers would come.
[restrict paid=”true”]Pegues took the risk, moving to, Texas to attend Centennial High. The 5-foot-7 running back with lightning speed worked relentlessly to build his body to its current mass of 185 pounds. He worked tirelessly on his footwork, acceleration and fundamentals. By his junior year, he began to reap the rewards. In 2014, he rushed for 1,792 yards and 16 touchdowns. As a senior in 2015, Pegues rushed for 1,888 yards and 17 touchdowns against Texas 5A competition.
He received offers from Navy, Air Force, Northern Arizona, Butler, Yale and Montana State. He made an official visit to Montana State in November and verbally committed on the spot. He will sign a National Letter of Intent with Montana State next month. Pegues is endlessly thankful that his risk to move to Texas paid off.
“It means the world,” Pegues said last week. “My uncle told me Texas is for real about football. I took him on his offer and it was tough the first couple of days and weeks, missing family. It was tough being away from my mom and dad and I was just 14. But he pushed me and rode me and it’s all paid off. He’s worked me to death but it’s paid off. At the time, I thought he was just being hard but now that I see what the benefit is of working hard, I really appreciate what he did.”
Pegues’ highlight film shows an explosive runner with elite speed — he has been timed as fast as 4.36 seconds in the 40-yard dash — and impressive lower body strength to burst in and out of his cuts. He averaged 8.1 yards per carry and 163 yards per game as a junior, surpassing 100 yards on eight occasions and ripping off a touchown long of 92 yards. As a senior, Pegues carried the ball 251 times, averaging 7.5 yards per carry and 188.8 yards per game, surpassing 100 yards eight times once again.
Pegues has turned himself in a weight room warrior, with a squat max of 585 pounds and a bench press max of 340 pounds despite his slight stature. It’s all been a part of his pursuit of playing Division I football.
“I worked hard during my school workouts but a lot of it, I did a lot of extra work,” Pegues said. “You can catch me at a local middle schools after practice around 7 p.m. doing extra work, running sleds, working on my footwork, working on everything. If I didn’t get enough reps in practice, I would go back over the play. My uncle was basically my main trainer. If I slacked, I had to pay for it. My preparation and the work I’ve put in, I still have things I need to improve on mentally and physically, footwork wise and put on a few more pounds but I think I’m ready. I just need to keep working harder.”
Pegues came on his official visit to Montana State during the Bobcats’ 34-23 loss to Southern Utah in Bozeman. The beauty of the Gallatin Valley and the enthusiasm its residents show for Bobcat football instantly struck Pegues.
“Bozeman, it’s a beautiful place with the mountains, the snow, the people,” Pegues said. “It’s just an amazing place. Montana State, I like the atmosphere. I was in the stands. I got to feel the atmosphere and the fans. I love the fans and how excited they were for the team. And even though Montana State was down and ended up losing, they kept fighting to the end. They didn’t give up on any plays until the clock said zero. I really enjoyed that. I thought that was an X factor in me committing there.
Pegues did not know much about Montana State before former MSU special teams coordinator Daniel DaPrato came to Centennial High in Frisco to begin Pegues’ recruitment. Once Pegues stepped foot in Bobcat Stadium, he knew it was where he wanted to continue his career.
“The coaches, when they were offering me, they were telling me how good the atmosphere was and I just thought it was one of those things where the coaches were promoting the school,” Pegues said. “But I eat my words. They were right. That’s big time. Everybody in that city is there at that game and they are loving the game.”
Pegues committed just weeks before Ash and most of his staff, including DaPrato, were let go. Pitre was retained by new head coach Jeff Choate and helped the Bobcats retain Pegues as a verbal commit.
“I was a little worried but me and Coach Pitre had a really good relationship,” Pegues said. “When he told me he was ok and that I was ok, that sealed the deal because he and I have a really good relationship. When I was up there on my official, me and him really kicked it off. We had a really good relationship, good conversation and I was really excited to hear that he was staying. That was really a big thing as to why I stayed because he was staying.”
Pegues, who carries a 3.4 grade-point average, is interested in either studying business or accounting at Montana State. He will join an MSU running backs group that returns seniors Chad Newell and Gunnar Brekke, junior Nick LaSane and sophomores Noah James, Tavon Dodd and Logan Jones. Pegues is excited to get to Bozeman and get to work.
“The new coaches, I’ve talked to them,” Pegues said. “Messingham, the new offensive coordinator, he called me last week and me and him had a really good conversation. He was telling me they were expecting to run the ball behind me and he said I really have a good chance of playing early. He said he can’t wait to get me up there and watch me get loose and watch me play. I’m excited to be coached by him because on the phone, he sounds like a great coach who knows what he is talking about. I think when I get there and we get everything rolling, we can do big things.”
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