Entering Wednesday, there hadn’t really been a major outgoing transfer for the Tar Heels in this transfer window, but that first real shocking move has finally come.
Earlier this afternoon, On3 Sports revealed that sophomore offensive tackle Diego Pounds has entered the transfer portal. Pounds will have two years of eligibility wherever he lands.
Pounds enters the transfer portal off a 2023 season where he started twelve of the team’s thirteen games at left tackle and showed some nice promise for the future. While he may not have graded out that well in run blocking according to PFF (53.1), he had a nice season in pass protection. In 466 pass block reps, he allowed just two sacks and 13 total quarterback pressures, numbers that ranked second and third respectively among the team’s six primary rotation players.
This is a significant blow to a Tar Heel offensive lind that was already having to replace four of the six major contributors to the unit from this season. The team has landed the former Georgia Bulldog Austin Blaske from the portal and reportedly in talks with South Carolina transfer Jaylen Nichols, but it’s still going to be a huge task trying to replace your starting left tackle that you were hoping would help anchor the unit next season.