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.
“Coach McGhee had a great experience playing football and the success he had when he was there,” DeVaughn said. “He said there would be times when you may be home sick but he had great relationships up here. The biggest thing for him was the people he was around.
“He told me about the seniors when he was a freshman, hanging out with (Dane) Fletcher and putting in extra work after practice. Right after those seniors left is when they started winning because they were good examples. I’m hoping I can eventually be that and learn from people that are there now like he did.”
The long, athletic defensive end chose Montana State over offers from Army, Central Arkansas and Montana State’s Big Sky rival Northern Colorado. MSU first landed on DeVaughn’s radar last spring. Once he experienced Bozeman first hand, he was sold on becoming a Bobcat.
“We went out to a restaurant and everyone there was talking about it, saying ‘Go Bobcats’,” DeVaughn said. “It’s a whole other thing when you are around people and you are the talk of the town. It’s special that Montana State is the talk of the area.
The fledgling city nestled up against the Bridger Mountains pleasantly surprised the recruit as well.
“The place is so beautiful,” he said. “I had no idea what it would be like. The little idea I had, I thought it would be less city. I thought it would be not as structured as it was, more farms, more rural. In Bozeman, it’s like a main city area next to the mountains. I thought it would be a lot more rural than it was. It was pretty cool. It was definitely beautiful.”
DeVaughn is one of four players to commit to Montana State this week. Three of those — DeVaugh, Norco, California offensive lineman Donny Long and Connell, Washington defensive tackle Seer Deines — were on the same official visit. The other verbal commitment came from George “Munchie” Filer III, a cornerback from Compton Community College.
Those four are expected to sign with Montana State on National Signing Day on February 7. Of the 16 players who inked with MSU during the first-ever early signing period December 20-22, only Bozeman product Jory Choate, the son of MSU head coach Jeff Choate, is a defensive end.
“They want me to do what I’ve done in my time at Prestonwood and before: get after the QB and make plays,” DeVaughn said. “The conference is mostly a passing conference so that’s one of the biggest things I’m being recruited for: to make plays in the backfield. They want me at the outside linebacker/defensive end position (Buck) and I’ll be moving around making that happen.”
For the first three seasons of his prep career, DeVaugn played at Frisco High about an hour north of Dallas. For his senior season, DeVaughn transferred to Prestonwood Christian Academy, a premier boarding school that competes in the 6A division of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS).
Last season, DeVaughn racked up 42 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Prestonwood capped DeVaughn’s senior season with a 42-41 victory over St. Pius X in the TAPPS 6A state title game.
When DeVaughn first started playing football at Frisco, he didn’t know if it would be a part of his future after high school. By his sophomore year, he was a varsity starter with an opportunity. Now he’s a Division I recruit on his way to the Big Sky Conference.
“I realized the talent I have and the size I have,” DeVaughn said. “Getting into varsity football as a sophomore, that was a turn for me. Once I realized it was a faster speed of play, I realized I wasn’t far off from the skills of the seniors. The coaches definitely recognized my size and talent and it all came together to make me realize that I might be able to do this at the next level.
“I started working hard and the switch to Prestonwood really helped me this year working on those skills and getting better at the little things. It got me to where I am today.”
During his visit, DeVaughn had a chance to bond with future teammates both currently on the roster and recently committed. He experienced his first dose of Choate, noting his “honest, straight forward” approach as a huge selling point for his commitment. DeVaughn is unsure what he will major in at Montana State but will take full advantage of the education he will receive.
“It means a lot, especially since I get a free education,” DeVaughn said. “I get to try to see where the rest of my football career goes. For me, it’s pretty big. I always wanted to relieve the stress of that college education because it costs a lot. It’s pretty awesome I’ve been able to do that. From the beginning of high school, I didn’t always want to play D-I football but I’ve always liked football since I started playing. It’s just pretty cool I’ll be able to get an education along with it.”
Photos courtesy of DeVaughn and attributed. All Rights Reserved.
