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Logan Diggs is 'grateful' for Ole Miss choosing patience as he enters Spring drills fully healthy

11by:Jake Thompson•about 19 hours•

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Ole Miss running back Logan Diggs. Mandatory credit: Ole Miss athletics

A year ago Logan Diggs was taking in Ole Miss Spring practice from the training room but this year he is on the field doing what he loves and soaking in every minute.

The running back suffered a knee injury that required off-season surgery following LSU’s bowl game 14 months ago. Diggs was sidelined for all of Spring, Summer and Fall workouts plus the entire regular season.

Not until the Gator Bowl nearly three months ago was Diggs able to make his Ole Miss debut, getting limited snaps.

All of it is something Diggs does not take for granted and this March feels much different than 365 days ago.

“It’s a different feeling being on the sideline actually being out there rather than watching from the training room,” Diggs said on Tuesday. “I’m blessed to be out there being able to compete with these guys.”

Diggs got one carry in the Gator Bowl for 15 yards and that was it. But that one carry was the first for him in nearly a full calendar year and it might have meant more than any other in his career up to that point.

There was also a realization that came over him after the game in Jacksonville. One that helped put all the setbacks into perspective.

“It was bittersweet. It felt really good but at the same time I kind of had a feeling of, like, I’m exactly where I need to be,” Diggs added. “I didn’t feel rushed at all. I felt like it was the perfect time for me to come back. I didn’t need to come back in a specific game this season or earlier or later or not play at all. God put me in the right position to be able to go out there and play. It was a really, really good feeling.”

Now Diggs is part of a running backs room at Ole Miss that includes fellow returner Domonique Thomas plus transfers Kewan Lacy, Jordon Simmons and Raphael Ekechi and true freshman Shekai Mills-Knight who will join this summer.

How Ole Miss handled Diggs’ recruitment post-injury is what went a long way in him committing out of the portal.

When he suffered the injury it was not something Diggs immediately felt, stating he only noticed something was not right when he went to brace for the defender on the play.

Then on the the sideline the former LSU running back could tell his knee was not right. From there it was surgery on the same day he entered the transfer portal.

Ole Miss still came calling and showed interest in Diggs.

There was no indication head coach Lane Kiffin would get any production out of Diggs in 2024. But that was not a concern, knowing eventually he would produce on the field for Ole Miss if Diggs chose to come to Oxford.

In the transfer portal era there is an instant gratification created. The player must produce immediately and be a big time player if a fan’s school of choice spent the NIL money to get him on campus. That was not going to happen in Diggs’ case but Kiffin and his staff handled his situation is what sealed the deal.

“That speaks volumes about this culture and this place and this coaching staff,” Diggs said. “They took a chance on me when they didn’t have to. They knew I wasn’t coming in and I wasn’t going to be able to play right away. I said when I first got here before that me saying I’m grateful and thankful is an understatement.

“The day I got surgery I entered the portal. I didn’t necessarily know what was going to happen. But they believed in me and believed in my mindset that I would be strong enough to overcome it and be able to come back.”

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