OXFORD – Ole Miss senior J.J. Pegues is hyping up defensive linemen around college football. So much so, in fact, that they are filling up his social media inboxes.
Pegues is an Oxford native who starred for Oxford High School at a position that can best be described as “offensive weapon.” Pegues ran for 623 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior for the Chargers and added 607 receiving yards and six touchdowns. He began his college career as a tight end at Auburn before moving over to the defensive line and eventually transferring to his hometown team.
Pegues has been a stalwart up front for the Rebels since he arrived prior to the 2022 season – particularly in 2024, as he has 10.5 tackles-for-loss through eight games – but it’s his recent success carrying the ball that has garnered him admiration around the country.
After racking up a total of five carries in his first two seasons with the Rebels (and a receiving touchdown in the 2022 Egg Bowl), Pegues has become the Rebels’ go-to short-yardage back in key situations this season. He has nine carries this year and has scored five touchdowns. The latest came last weekend against Oklahoma, where he was initially stopped at the line of scrimmage before twisting away from defenders and extending past the goal line.
“I’m really hyped that (Lane) Kiffin obviously gave me the opportunity to do this,” Pegues said. “And I appreciate (former Auburn head coach Gus) Malzahn for giving me the opportunity to do it as well. … The goal is, me and my coach said, get at least eight or nine (touchdowns). So, we’ll see.”
Per Ole Miss, Pegues is one of just two defensive linemen with at least five touchdowns in a season since 2015, joining UConn’s Jelani Stafford. Pegues has picked up a first down or touchdown on all nine of his carries, according to Pro Football Focus, and 24 of his 25 rushing yards have come after contact. According to College Football Reference, the single-season record for rushing touchdowns by a defensive player is eight by Oregon State linebacker Jack Colletto in 2021.
Teammates like senior defensive end Jared Ivey have previously said how much they enjoyed seeing Pegues get carries. He also has a fan in Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman, who said, “He’s freaking good, man. He’s big. He’s skilled. … What a great idea by the offensive staff to use him because he’s hard to stop back there on short yardage.”
And, according to Pegues, there are a lot more fans of his work out there.
“I get DMs from other D-linemen from different schools like, ‘Man, you represent the big boys,’” Pegues said with a laugh. “Again, it’s a blessing and I’m thankful for it. And, it’d mean a lot being able to break that record. But whenever they call my number, I just go out there and try to execute what I got.”
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