Chris ‘Pooh’ Paul Jr. focused on helping the Rebels bounce back, being a leader: ‘At the end of the day, I gave you everything that I had inside me, so I want everything that’s inside you’
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss middle linebacker and leading tackler Chris ‘Pooh’ Paul Jr. stepped to the podium Tuesday to discuss bouncing back after the loss to LSU and how his family’s support has helped him be the leader he is today.
“When I was coming into Ole Miss, one of my goals was being the leader of the defense.” – Chris Pooh Paul Jr on his success this season
— Kam Wicker (@kam_wicker) October 22, 2024
He made it clear during his press conference on Tuesday that he is a veteran leader on a team that needs him. The linebacker talked about being resilient, despite not having things go the Rebels’ way so far this season.
Paul Jr. leads the Rebels this season with 46 total tackles through seven games, adding two-and-a-half sacks to his stat line as well.
“When I was coming into Ole Miss, one of my goals was to come in and be the leader of the defense. I always said that I wanted to be the guy on defense that brought the high energy, but as well as be that guy that the players can lean on when things got tough. I want to be that example, I want to be the guy that they look at and make them go harder because they do the same for me. I look at some guys out there and it makes me push myself harder because I got my brother next to me doing the same. Like I said earlier in the year, ‘I want 100% out of you because I’m going to give you 100%. At the end of the day I gave you everything that I had inside me, so I want everything that’s inside you.‘”
~ Paul Jr. on being a leader
Paul Jr. commended his father for ingraining a leadership mentality in him throughout his life. Being the quarterback of the defense comes with much responsibility, and the Ole Miss defender feels his parents put him in this position.
“It’s a real blessing to be out here doing something that I love, but as well as knowing I am making my parents proud at the end of the day. I know the sacrifices that they made for me to get here and be in the position I am in today. That doesn’t go unnoticed.”
Paul Jr. on his parents
“That was something my pops instilled in me when I was younger. As a linebacker, you have to be the quarterback of the defense.” – Pooh Paul
— Kam Wicker (@kam_wicker) October 22, 2024
A part of being a leader is responding in the face of adversity and with Ole Miss starting SEC play with a 1-2 record, the time is. now for leaders such as Paul Jr. to double back on buying in. A week ago, head coach Lane Kiffin spoke about looking in the mirror and reevaluating yourself.
“Just reevaluating ourselves,” Paul Jr. said when asked what he and the team did during the bye week. “Going into things we can do better in order to bring team success and just bouncing back from the loss in Louisiana. We have been harping on that, and like coach (Kiffin) said, just diving into each other and learning different ways to bring success to the team.”
Coming off the loss to LSU, Rebel quarterback Jaxson Dart said Ole Miss has to win out (in order to reach the playoffs) and there is no other option. Throughout the bye week, questions came to players and coaches on how the signal-caller has bounced back from the rough ending in Death Valley. Paul is encouraged by the way Dart has responded as a leader since the defeat at Tiger Stadium.
“Dart has done a good job of keeping the spirit high for players and just not letting people drift. Staying the course and staying on top of the goal. That is really important coming from one of the leaders of our team. We got a lot of defensive guys that do the same.“
Paul Jr. on Jaxson Dart
After the week of rest, Ole Miss will now have the chance to show the work put in to improving from the losses. “We are just getting ready to bounce back and go out here this week to dominate against Oklahoma,” Paul Jr. said.
High-energy practices are always a good sign of things trending in the right direction, especially for a team that had victory swiped out of their hands twice early in the season. The key to the week, according to Paul Jr., has been communication, and he believes the rest of his teammates have been working hard in that area.
“I feel like today, we went out to practice, and the communication was high, the effort was high. Guys were on top of the little things out there. It really shows how they truly care about this team and its success. I feel confident going into Saturday and the rest of the weeks to come.“
~ Paul Jr. on practicing with pride
Up Next
Pooh Paul and his Rebel teammates will continue their week of preparation ahead of the first-ever football matchup against the Sooners. On Saturday, Oct. 26, the No. 18 Ole Miss Rebels will host the Oklahoma Sooners. Kickoff is set for 11 am CT on the ESPN network.
Kameron Wicker
Kam is a senior at Ole Miss, currently pursuing a degree in Journalism. Even though he's from Delhi, Louisiana, that didn't stop Kam from growing up a diehard Ole Miss fan. He's a sports guru who watches and follows all sports at all times. He lettered four years in football and baseball in high school and is an avid Saints, Pelicans, and Astros fan. In his free time, you can find him watching sports or at the rec participating in them.
