Pegues is at Ole Miss, but regrets not coming sooner
OXFORD — It’s a lot easier for the prodigal son to find his way home when all he has to do is follow the scent of grandma’s cooking.
Defensive lineman JJ Pegues was one of Ole Miss football’s most consequential transfer portal signings in an offseason loaded with transfer portal signings. After two years at Auburn, the Oxford native is back home, playing for the school he went to see play every Saturday he could growing up.
“I know once the season was over with at Auburn, I just had second thoughts about the place there,” Pegues explained. “I always wanted to come back (to Oxford) but I just never knew when. Once (former Auburn coach Gus) Malzahn left, I tried out the other staff. I really just didn’t like the environment and some of the coaches there. So I decided once I hit the transfer portal, I could come back. Ever since then, it’s been great. The community has been on my side. You get home-cooked meals from your grandma, it’s great.”
Pegues said he returned to Auburn after the Tigers played in the Birmingham Bowl and sat through one team meeting before deciding he wanted to enter the transfer portal. While in the portal, Pegues entertained offers from other schools but Ole Miss was always his front-of-mind favorite.
His choice to sign with Ole Miss made up for what Pegues admits was a regretful decision he made during the recruiting process. Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin reached out to Chris Cutcliffe, Pegues’ coach at Oxford High, days after he took over for Matt Luke. Kiffin wanted to meet face-to-face with Pegues, but Pegues turned down the offer as he was preparing for the Mississippi-alabama All-star Game and didn’t want to disrupt his schedule.
Kiffin said he didn’t know Pegues the person, just the player, when he signed the 6-foot-2, 315-pound lineman in the winter. Getting to know Pegues through spring practice has been a revelation for Kiffin, who described Pegues as a “juice guy” who has helped bring energy and versatility to the Rebels’ defense.
Pegues said he’s been practicing at nose tackle predominantly this spring. He’s been focused on improving as a pass rusher while taking lessons from returning starter K.D. Hill about how to eat space in the middle.
On the side, Pegues is still dabbling on offense. He played tight end and occasionally quarterback or running back in high school. Auburn used him as a tight end his freshman year. Now, Pegues says Ole Miss’ coaches are letting him practice at fullback and tight end in certain packages.
Whether Pegues will be chasing quarterbacks or catching passes from them, the aspect of playing at Ole Miss he looks forward to most is getting to experience the traditions he saw as a kid from the other side.
“I loved The Grove,” Pegues said. “Just as a little kid, going out there and seeing how many people and seeing how excited they were to see Ole Miss players. Like I said, that’s one of the regrets I have about not talking to Kiffin.”
Contact Nick Suss at 601-408-2674 or nsuss@gannett.com. Follow @nicksuss on Twitter.