Twenty-two Names to Know for the Ole Miss Football Season: No. 17 Diego Pounds
OXFORD, Miss. – As we lead up to week one in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for the kickoff of Ole Miss football’s 2024 season, The Rebel Walk team is highlighting one player each day. We’ll break down who they are, how they got here and what we expect from each.
Today, we take a look at the #17 player on our list, OT Diego Pounds
If there was one area on the offensive side of the ball where Ole Miss really looked to add depth to it is the offensive line. Lane Kiffin brought in four players with starting experience to this year’s group. Including Pounds, Ole Miss also added a lengthy duo from Washington in Julius Buelow and Nate Kalepo as well as a Sun Belt starter from Southern Miss in Gerquan Scott.
Let’s dive in and learn a little more about what makes Diego Pounds special.
Film Room Share
Diego Pounds was #8 on my personal list for the 22.
Look as Pounds (6-6 330) BULLIED a 280 lb DT on this rep. Against a current NFL UDFA. Solid Pass Pro grades. Can mirror and stonewall at the LOS.
A fun watch. pic.twitter.com/LhnqRqnpQL
— T.J. (@TJOxley1) August 15, 2024
How Diego Pounds arrived at Ole Miss
Coming out of high school, Pounds was listed as a 3-star prospect and part of the ESPN 300. He went to Millbrook High School in Raleigh, North Carolina where he played varsity football as a sophomore. After that year, Pounds made the switch from playing on the defensive side of the line to the offensive — going from defensive tackle to offensive tackle and settling there.
Pounds also played a little bit of basketball in his junior year. When his high school career was finished, he was a top-20 player in the state of North Carolina and a top-25 player at his position.
After offers from multiple places, Pounds stayed close to home to play at the University of North Carolina. After enrolling early, Pounds spent two seasons with the Tar Heels before entering the transfer portal. Ole Miss was the first and only visit Pounds took while in the portal as he quickly committed to play for the Rebels.
BREAKING: Ole Miss gets commitment from North Carolina transfer left tackle Diego Pounds.
@MorethZach has more on this big addition! ⤵️ https://t.co/FRI1rfVHr6
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) January 8, 2024
Career Outlook
In his tenure for the Tar Heels, Pounds played in a total of 18 games over two seasons. After a quiet freshman season, opportunity struck for him in his sophomore campaign.
Pounds would play in 13 games for UNC that year and eventually took over as the starting left tackle for the team’s final eight games. He was the anchor on the offensive line for the top offense in the ACC. Pounds graded out as a 74.0 pass protector per PFF College Football with a total of 466 passing snaps. The 2023 UNC offense averaged nearly 300 yards of passing offense per game.
Heading into 2024
Similar to the new-look defensive front for Ole Miss, the offensive line appears to be the deepest it’s been in recent memory. Pounds could potentially be that same anchor on the left side again at Ole Miss.
Pounds is listed at 6-foot-6 and 340 pounds on the official Ole Miss roster, possessing a top height/weight combination. On tape, Pounds is a powerful pass protector who also exhibits light feet. He wins in the one-vs.-one setting with hand placement. He handles bull rushes with ease, and can get set off the snap quickly. I watched him initiate contact and see he can mirror the pass rusher. Once he makes contact, Pounds rarely gets pushed back and will deliver through the rep with power.
Former North Carolina OT Diego Pounds has really caught my eye tonight. He started 8 games for the Tar Heels last season but has transferred to Ole Miss. On their team website, he’s listed at 6’6″ and 330 pounds. pic.twitter.com/8MOUV3sjOV
— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) June 25, 2024
I watched Pounds in North Carolina’s October, 2023 game vs. Miami, and so many times you can see he is still holding his block at the LOS while the rest of the line is recovering and Maye is looking to escape a shrinking pocket. Pounds has shown he can get out and run in movement, too, getting downfield to make blocks at the second level. Lining up against a player like Princely Umanmielen will be a good day-in, day-out test for Pounds to hone in on his kick slide against a twitchy edge rusher.
Camp Notes
Thus far in camp, the increased depth on the offensive line is clear, and Pounds is obviously locked in to a competition for a starting tackle spot. We’ve seen him working there at left tackle, going in and out with Jayden Williams. In Monday’s practice viewing, we saw Pounds hit the left tackle spot first in practice. Preston Cushman has also been trying some time at offensive tackle as well.
At his Monday press conference, head coach Lane Kiffin commented on the O-line’s performance in Saturday’s scrimmage:
“The (offensive line) was up and down (Saturday). I thought there were some good things. I know we’re deeper than we were at that position to where the first and second group can alternate and go in, not having a lot of drop off and seeing a lot of competition there, and a couple guys can play with multiple spots. That’s in a really good place. They didn’t play as consistent as I would’ve liked, but again, they’re going against a pretty elite and talented defensive line that played really well on Saturday and that caused issues. That was the goal of getting these guys together. Maybe we can have one of those few defensive lines in the country that at times can really disrupt and take over a game.“
Lane Kiffin on Ole Miss O-line after Saturday scrimmage
Look for Diego Pounds to be a big part of offensive line coach John Garrison’s unit this fall.
Hotty Toddy!
TJ Oxley
TJ Oxley is the Vice President of Operations and the Director of Community Relations for The Rebel Walk. He is also the Director of Basketball Content and Senior Basketball Writer. He has over five years of experience providing in-depth analysis of college basketball through multiple platforms. A former MBA graduate of Ole Miss, TJ started with The Rebel Walk in 2019.
