Rebels’ Left Tackle Ready to Experience Rivalry Against LSU

OXFORD, Miss. — College football is in a much different place than it was less than a decade ago with the transfer portal changing program dynamics.

North Carolina transfer Diego Pounds was able to experience one wild SEC road environment at South Carolina in place of the injured Jayden Williams.

Now, he has an opportunity to visit Tiger Stadium also dubbed ‘Death Valley’ as it’s one of the hardest venues for a visiting team to win. Pounds will be tasked with learning different type of snap counts with it being a night game and LSU’s crowd obnoxiously loud.

Ole Miss Rebels offensive linemen Diego Pounds (61) blocks during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

“Since I’m a transfer, I don’t really feel what they feel for it, but these are my brothers and I would trust everything they say,” Pounds said Tuesday afternoon. “They don’t like LSU. It’s a rivalry and I’m going to treat it exactly like a rivalry.

“At the end of the day, it’s just football. I’ve just figured out this whole Magnolia Bowl trophy. I’m new to it and I don’t know the deep roots about it, but if it’s a rivalry, it’s a rivalry, so I just treat every game like that.”

Communication has been key this week for Ole Miss as the coaching staff has piped in sound to try and replicate Tiger Stadium. Pounds detailed exactly how he plans to keep LSU’s fans from spoiling Ole Miss’ playoff chances.

“You just have to really key in to the quarterback’s clap,” Pounds said. “If you can’t hear the clap, you have to watch the ball but you just have to make sure everybody’s on the same page.”

Williams has been very helpful to Pounds which has allowed them to bond and get better on and off the field.

“I’m actually sad he got hurt,” Pounds said. “Me and Jayden are really close friends and he’s just sitting there helping me out, helping me get ready every day, too. Even if it’s just from the sideline or if he’s telling me about what this player is doing on the field, he’s just helping me out.”