Pounds was born on December 12, 2002, in
Atlanta, Georgia, and raised by his mother. He moved to
Raleigh, North Carolina, when he was eight, and grew up playing
basketball. He attended
Millbrook High School where he initially was only going to play basketball, but joined the
football team as his brother was a member of the squad. Pounds played
junior varsity football from 2017 to 2018 as a
defensive lineman before joining the
varsity team near the end of his
sophomore year. As a
junior, Pounds became an
offensive lineman. He helped the team reach the
NCHSAA 4AA state playoffs that season, but did not play his
senior year as it was postponed to 2021 and he graduated early. ==College career==