Pettus Brothers- One Time Meeting On College Football Field- Always Competitive But Loving
MADISON– Growing up in the small, but growing community of Harvest, nestled between the mostly housing subdivisions of Monrovia and the vast farmland of Madison County, Dell and Micah Pettus were your typical brothers playing video games, handling chores at the direction of their parents and participating in athletics. Their notable upbringing has helped the brothers grow into young adults where each is playing college football and obtaining an education.
Dell is a fifth-year senior strong/free safety for the Troy Trojans while Micah is a sophomore offensive lineman for the Ole Miss Rebels. During the 2022 season, on Labor Day Weekend, the two actually met on the field as their respective teams met in the season opening game.
“That was a cool experience as not many players can say that they played against their brother in a college game,” said Micah, whose team defeated Troy 28-10 in the contest.
“As expected, as brothers, we talked trash before the game, but he never got near me during the game,” said Dell, who is all about competition during every game. “If I could have gotten a piece of him during the game, I would have taken it. I was personally cheering for him to play well during the game as I know he worked hard to get to his place on the team.”
“That was my first college game as a player and it was great to do that with him on the field at the same time,” added Micah. “He would send some smack my way and each time I told him to look at the scoreboard.”
On the season, Ole Miss finished 8-5 including a disappointing loss to Texas Tech in the Texas Bowl as Micah was listed as a Third Team Freshman All-American. Troy was 12-2 with a big win over Texas of San Antonio in the Cure Bowl as Dell posted 61 tackles on the season.
For the Pettus brothers the relationship they share is exceptionally close. The sons of Glen and T.J. Pettus played recreational sports as Micah usually moved up in age and weight divisions. Dell is 18 months older than his brother and having the chance to compete together through their childhood was a joy for both. “We were different, but similar,” said Dell, 22. “Of course we argued and played together. We played hard at whatever we did. We had a good relationship, but now it’s better than ever.”
“It seemed if Dell did something, like mowing the grass, I had to do it, too,” added Micah, 20. “I remember one year Dell was on a T-ball team and I somehow joined in. As a five-year old, I played football with Dell on the Monrovia Panthers team. I always played up in divisions and that helped me be competitive. Our dad was our coach and we both learned from him. We even shared a bedroom until at the end of elementary school.”
Today, Dell is 6-foot, 205-pounds while Micah is 6-foot-8 and weighs in at 335 pounds. Dell graduated from Troy in May with a degree in cyber security and is playing what the NCAA called the COVID year where each player had the opportunity to play an extra season due to the 2020 COVID pandemic.
Micah is usually the largest player on the field where he’s been known to dominate players while utilizing what coaches call his good foot work and great hands. He’s the vocal leader among the Ole Miss offensive line and has already made waves among the coaches in the NFL.
“Yes, the NFL knows who I am,” stated Micah. “I can leave after this upcoming season. My goal is to make All-American, be the best offensive tackle in the nation and be the best to come off the board (NFL Draft).”
Dell is looking to his last season of collegiate football as last year he was fourth on the team in tackles including more than 30 solo tackles.
Dell prepped at Sparkman where he had 10 interceptions, 132 tackles and 17 tackles for a loss while being selected as team captain his senior season. He also lettered in track and baseball. Micah also played at Sparkman before he transferred to James Clemens for his senior year. He was rated a four-star recruit by all major recruiting sites and recorded 116 pancake blocks as a senior with the Jets. Upon his signing with Ole Miss, Micah said, “I chose Ole Miss after Coach (Lane) Kiffin recruited me as the writing was on the wall about what they were trying to do. I liked it as it was a good fit.”
Both Dell and Micah drove used cars upon obtaining their driver’s licenses, but had an agreement with their father of should they obtain scholarship rides to pay their college education each would receive a new car in college. Dell is currently driving a Dodge Charger while Micah has a Silverado both of which were bought by their parents. Micah is using is new wheels while attending two classes this summer in his effort to obtain his degree in business with a minor in sports administration with a current 3.3. grade point average.
“We’re both ready for the upcoming season, though our teams are not scheduled to face one another in 2023,” said Dell, who has been a starter at Troy since the third game of his freshman season. “I’m the best athlete in the family,” added Micah, as a pre-season trash-talking point.
