DeNarius McGhee is helping Montana State keep its Texas pipeline open.
Montana State rose to great heights with McGhee under center and a collection of fellow Lone Star state natives surrounding him at the beginning of this decade. The quarterback from Euless Trinity High earned Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors twice while leading MSU to three straight league titles for the first time in school history.
MSU’s Texas presence remains strong under head coach Jeff Choate, although nowhere close to the nearly 20 natives of the state who played at the height of the influx under Rob Ash. The Bobcats will enter Choate’s third season with seven Texas natives on its roster. McGhee, now Choate’s quarterbacks’ coach, has played a hand in maintaining the connection to his home state.
The majority of those players are Ash recruits. Anthony Pegues signed with MSU in Choate’s first class but was previously verbally committed before Ash’s dismissal in 2015. Nose tackle Elu Leota, a key contributor as a true freshman, is the only Texas player on MSU’s roster recruited by Choate and his staff.
On Tuesday, McGhee helped the Bobcats land another Lone Star state native. Pierce DeVaughn, a 6-foot-4, 235-pound defensive end from Prestonwood Christian in Plano, verbally committed to MSU less than 48 hours after making his official visit to Bozeman.
Photos courtesy of DeVaughn and attributed. All Rights Reserved.