OXFORD — For the first time in his playing career, Ole Miss senior guard Julius Buelow has someone his size playing next to him.
Buelow, along with fellow former Washington offensive lineman Nate Kalepo, were part of the Rebels’ offseason efforts to improve their size and athleticism in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Ole Miss also added former Southern Miss guard/center Gerquan Scott and North Carolina tackle Diego Pounds, who started nine games at left tackle for the Tar Heels a season ago.
Buelow and Kalepo were key cogs on a Huskies offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award in 2023, given annually to the top offensive line in college football. Kalepo started all 15 games for Washington last season while Buelow started nine. The Huskies finished 14-1, falling to Michigan in the national championship game.
The Rebels already returned starting center Caleb Warren, guard/tackle Jeremy James and tackle Micah Pettus. The transfer portal haul has created competition in a room that already had six players with starting experience at Ole Miss.
When he lines up at guard and looks to his right, Buelow sees tackle Micah Pettus. Buelow is listed at 6-foot-8, 320 pounds. Pettus is 6-foot-7, 350 pounds.
“We’ve definitely got the size. I think this is the first time I’ve played next to somebody … being the same size as me,” Buelow said. “Which is kind of weird.”
Among the qualities Buelow sees in the Rebels’ offensive line room that make him think Ole Miss can reach the heights the Huskies did is that size. Pounds is 6-foot-6, 340 pounds, Scott is 6-foot-3, 320 pounds while Kalepo is 6-foot-6, 335 pounds. Another key to great offensive line play, Buelow said, is cohesiveness.
“We’re definitely still in the beginning stages of building that chemistry, building that camaraderie,” Buelow said. “I mean, we’ve got a lot of guys from different schools trying to get on the same page, and getting the right calls in and just kind of having that chemistry. But I think time wise, (we’re) definitely on par with where we were last year (at Washington).”
Though the Huskies fell agonizingly short of the national championship last season, Buelow had a first-hand look at what it takes for a team to reach the pinnacle of the sport. Washington won six games against ranked opponents and four against top-10 teams, including a pair over Oregon. The Huskies allowed 12 sacks in 15 games, an average of 0.80 per game to rank fifth in the country, and ranked 13th in points per game. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was a Heisman Trophy finalist, and the Huskies had a 1,000-yard rusher and two 1,000-yard receivers.
What does it take to play for a national championship? Buelow believes it’s all in the details.
“How you do one thing is how you do everything,” Buelow said. “I told the guys … like my mom always told me, don’t half-step anything you do in life. And that definitely translates to football. How you wash dishes is how you’re going to block wide zone. … It’s all of those little things.”
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