Adversity comes in all walks of life for anyone, and everyone, including Texas A&M commit Deyjhon Pettaway. 

“I have to embrace the dark and hard times,” Pettaway said. “It's about what I do when adversity hits and football has shown me adversity. I just continue to embrace it and fight through it, and stick to my small goals to lead me up to my big goal.”

Fighting through adversity has his big goal of playing at the next level well within reach. He committed to the Aggies on Jan. 27, but the DCTF four-star cornerback from Katy Paetow still holds offers from some of the best programs in the country, including Arkansas, Baylor, Georgia, Houston, LSU, Miami, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Oregon.

It’s clear to see why Pettaway has garnered college’s attention. This past season, the 5-foot-10 junior tallied 80 tackles along with four pass break ups and one interception. He not only makes plays on the field, but also has elite speed, as he ran a 10.7 100-meter dash as a sophomore.

“I always trained with my older brother [growing up] so I was always faster than most of the kids which put me at an advantage and ahead of my age group,” Pettaway said.

That older brother, Daymion Sanford, is currently a linebacker at Texas A&M. Pettaway said he strives to be better than his older brother, but Sanford constantly reminds him that he has work to do. Sanford is someone that Pettaway looks up to, and was always a big motivation for him. 

“I really started thinking about college ball when my brother got his first offer and from then I always wanted to be as great as him,” Pettaway said. “Seeing him with all this mail from colleges all over the country made me want it even more.”

He said the biggest challenges he’s faced throughout his playing career have all been mental. He built a mentality that he wasn’t doing well enough, even when he was doing good, and that forced him to work harder.

However, one physical challenge he’s had to overcome came on the field in November versus district rival Katy Tompkins. Pettaway said he had 12 tackles, but dealt with a shoulder injury after a big hit on DCTF three-star Wyatt Young. 

“[That hit] had me on the ground and I was blacked out,” Pettaway said. “My teammates helped me up and took me to the sideline where I finally gained consciousness. I instantly got up and was ready to keep fighting with my brothers regardless of the pain my shoulder brought to me. We didn’t have the finish we wanted to have as a team, but we played well.” 

His advice for younger players aspiring to play at the next level is to not worry too much about the results — it’s not about how you start, but how you finish. He said to keep your head down and let God figure out a plan for you through your work ethic.

“Everyone goes through adversity,” Pettaway said. “But what makes the champions so great is what they do when adversity hits.”