In 2021, UNC landed a star-studded 13th-ranked class, and Drake Maye sat as its crown jewel. Sitting in the depths was also a four-star offensive lineman, Diego Pounds. Unlike Maye, the 6’7″, 330 lbs OT wasn’t promised much and saw limited on-field action. A lot needed to be tread upon and fought for. He did that and started 8 games in his third year at UNC, getting widespread recognition. But when he transferred to Ole Miss, everything took a sharp U-turn.

Pounds faced intense competition at Ole Miss and had immense self-doubt. That’s exactly when he found God. Arriving at Ole Miss, Diego Pounds accompanied his teammates to take a dip in Ole Miss’s nearby lake. It wasn’t a leisure trip nor a romantic one, but it would guide Pounds throughout his life. The Raleigh, North Carolina native, along with a contingent of Ole Miss players, finally got baptized in 2024. Pounds, donning a black t-shirt that read ‘Forgiven,’ emerged as a new man.

“I get here, and things just don’t go as planned for me. I came in hurt, and I was trying to struggle for a starting spot. It didn’t turn out the way I wanted to; the first four games of the season actually didn’t start. I just split reps with another guy,” Diego Pounds said in a March 12 interview. “I remember finding myself broken down, and I talked to my parents about it.

“But I couldn’t find anything to say to them because I feel like I’m letting everybody down back home, and I really started to sit there and think. And that’s when I truly called on God, and that’s when I realized that God didn’t bring me here for football. He didn’t bring me here to be this All-SEC guy or this All-American football player. He brought me here to be closer to him, and that’s what I realized. And once I realized that everything took a turn.”

Transferring to Ole Miss, Pounds was the No. 3 transfer portal OT and had lofty ambitions. After being excluded as a starter in 3 games, Pounds fought back and earned his spot. In total, he started 9 games in the 2024 season and protected Jaxson Dart’s blind side. Against Kentucky, despite a narrow 17-20 loss, Pounds played 75 offensive snaps against South Carolina. The Millbrook High School graduate showed his best in the Gator Bowl.

Ole Miss toppled Duke 52-20 as Pounds totaled 76 snaps and helped Dart pass a whopping 404 yards. In truth, if not for Pounds’ prowess at left tackle, Jaxson Dart couldn’t have notched those 4,279 passing and 495 rushing yards, let alone gone on to become the round 1 pick in the 2025 NFL draft. Coming back in the 2025 season, he helped an unknown Trinidad Chambliss to a stellar season as he passed for 3,937 yards and rushed for 527 yards. In a sense, that trust in God finally helped Pounds also become a leader in the locker room.

“Last year, I was one of the younger guys, learning from the older ones,” Pounds said. “This year, I’m trying to teach everything I learned and bring the younger guys along. We’re a tight-knit group. If one guy fails, we all do. We’ve got to have five people on the same page.” Pounds also helped both Austin Simmons and Chambliss find their rhythm, calling both “special at different things.” In hindsight, Pounds’ relationship with God not only pushed him but also the Ole Miss team, too, to its first-ever playoff qualification. Pounds probably called it “God’s plan” all along.

Diego Pounds is navigating the NFL draft process with humility

Diego Pounds has now wrapped up his college career and is looking to go pro. The Ole Miss #61 was among the program’s six players called at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine. The ace OT notched an impressive total score of 71 and had an 81 athleticism score, ranked 10th amongst all OTs. He ran the 40 in 5.15 seconds, which is still impressive for a tank of a 6’7″ and 325 lb lineman. He did the 10-yard split in 1.77 seconds and had a 30-inch vertical jump along with a 9’4″ broad jump.

Now, navigating his pre-draft process, Pounds is no longer focusing on personal glory. He is giving his best and hoping for ‘God’s plan’ to work its charm. “You know, I was making it all about me. Yes, I prayed and prayed for the decision, and God wanted me to be here, but I made it all about me once I got there,” Pounds detailed why he had struggles at Ole Miss initially. “I was getting all the love and all the hype from committing.”

The North Carolina native is easily a late-round NFL draft pick. The 325 lbs beast has also played 2,146 snaps, giving him the required experience, not to mention scouts already prize his frame and physicality. Rivals dubbed him a “better late-round value,” and it won’t come as a shock if Diego climbs up the ladder and becomes a mid-round prospect.