William Peagler - Football Coach - Michigan State University Athletics

William Peagler

Title:
Running Backs Coach
Email:
football@msu.edu
Phone:
355-1647

William Peagler, 35, enters his second season as the Michigan State running backs coach. He was the director of quality control for the offense in 2019 at Colorado and has been coaching in college for the past 11 seasons. He has been on the same staff as offensive coordinator Jay Johnson five times (Michigan State, Colorado, Georgia, Minnesota, Louisiana).

Peagler (pea-glerr) went to Colorado from Louisiana (formerly UL-Lafayette), where he spent the 2018 season as the Ragin' Cajuns' director of player personnel and quality control coordinator. UL won the Sun Belt West Division title and earned a berth into the AutoNation Cure Bowl. In addition, Peagler helped Louisiana recruit the No. 1 class in the Sun Belt Conference.

During Georgia's run to the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2017, Peagler served as a graduate assistant for the Bulldogs, working with the offensive line. UGA won a school-record 13 games, the SEC Championship, and the Rose Bowl over Oklahoma in the CFP Semifinal during Peagler's year in Athens. He was also on the staff that signed the nation's consensus top recruiting class for 2018. Peagler worked with NFL first-rounder Isaiah Wynn, who earned first-team All-SEC honors as an offensive tackle in 2017.

Peagler joined the Minnesota staff in January 2016 as an assistant in quality control for the offense, particularly working with the offensive line. In that role for the Gophers, he was in charge of opponent scouting, self-scouting and the day-to-day operations on the offensive side of the ball. During the 2016 season, Minnesota defeated Washington State in the Holiday Bowl and won nine games under coach Tracy Claeys.

In 2015, Peagler was the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Olive Branch High School in Mississippi. He was at Coffeyville Community College in 2014, where he was the run game coordinator with additional duties as the school's recruiting coordinator. Under his watch, the Ravens rushed for 2,671 yards and 22 touchdowns that season and went from scoring 27.8 points per game the year before to 48.2 (578 in 12 games).

Previously, he had spent the 2011-13 seasons at Louisiana (formerly UL-Lafayette), where he first worked under Johnson. He initially joined the Ragin' Cajuns staff as an offensive quality control assistant and then was an offensive graduate assistant coach in his final two years there. UL won the New Orleans Bowl all three seasons he was on the staff. His first taste of coaching came as the tight ends coach at Valdosta State for the 2010 season.

Peagler graduated from Clemson with a degree in sport management in 2010. As an undergraduate at Clemson, he was a student assistant for the Tiger football team under head coaches Tommy Bowden and Dabo Swinney from 2006-09.

Peagler was born April 27, 1985, in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and graduated from the Holly Hill (S.C.) Academy where he lettered in football, basketball and baseball.

THE PEAGLER FILE

YEARS AT MICHIGAN STATE: Second. Joined staff on Feb. 24, 2020, from Colorado.

PREVIOUS COACHING EXPERIENCE: Tight ends coach at Valdosta State (2010); Offensive quality control assistant at Louisiana (2011); Offensive graduate assistant at Louisiana (2012-13); Run game coordinator/recruiting coordinator at Coffeyville Community College (2014); Offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Olive Branch (Miss.) High School (2015); Offensive quality control assistant at Minnesota (2016); Graduate assistant (offensive line) at Georgia (2017); Director of player personnel and quality control coordinator at Louisiana (2018); Director of quality control (offense) at Colorado (2019).

EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in sport management from Clemson in 2010.

POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE: Coach – 2011 New Orleans Bowl, 2012 New Orleans Bowl, 2013 New Orleans Bowl, 2016 Holiday Bowl, 2018 Rose/CFP Semifinal, 2018 CFP National Championship, 2018 AutoNation Cure Bowl.