Football
- Title:
- Running Backs
Pollard mentored Ito Smith to a second-team All-Conference junior season, where Smith finished fourth in C-USA for rushing and had six, 100-yard games.
A former standout linebacker for the Golden Eagles, it marks Pollard's first stint on the offensive side of the ball.
Pollard returned to Southern Miss for his second stint as an assistant coach in 2013 on Todd Monken's staff.
Pollard returned to Southern Miss after a one-year stint at Marshall where he served as The Herd’s Cornerbacks coach. During his stay in Huntington, Pollard’s top three defensive backs combined for 16 pass breakups, four interceptions and 111 tackles.
Prior to Marshall, Pollard served as Tennessee-Martin’s defensive coordinator in 2011, where his unit finished second in the Ohio Valley Conference, including a second-best ranking in third down defense. Linebacker Ben Johnson finished fourth in the OVC in total tackles, while defensive end D.J. Roberts finished second in the league in tackles for losses.
Pollard spent 2010 at Mississippi College where he served as the Choctaws defensive coordinator.
Before Mississippi College, Pollard was at the University of Mem- phis for two seasons, part of the defensive staff that helped Memphis improve from 100th to 57th nationally in total defense in just one season.
Pollard spent nine seasons at Southern Miss on head coach Jeff Bower’s staff before making the move to Conference USA rival Memphis. Pollard coached defensive backs, linebackers and was the special teams coordinator for the Black and Gold during this tenure.
In 2007, Pollard guided the Southern Miss defensive backs, who logged 17 interceptions and were led by C-USA standout Brandon Sumrall. Sumrall totaled six picks for 101 yards and made one return for a touchdown that season and was named first-team All C-USA. Sumrall was tied for 18th nationally in interceptions and had eight pass breakups. In addition, defensive backs C.J. Bailey and Chico Hunter were named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team.
Pollard helped direct a consistent defensive unit. Southern Miss ranked second in C-USA in total defense and pass defense, while leading the league in red-zone defense.
Pollard also guided the special teams unit, highlighted by punter Britt Barefoot who ranked second in C-USA and 25th nationally in punting. The Golden Eagles ranked second in the league in net punt- ing and also were second in kickoff coverage.
Pollard coached the 2005 C-USA Defensive Player of the Year, All-American linebacker Kevis Coley, whose 150 tackles were the sixth-best single-season performance in Southern Miss history. Coley’s total tackles ranked eighth nationally, while his solos (81) were seventh.
In 2004, Pollard coached outside linebacker Michael Boley, one of the greatest linebackers to ever play at Southern Miss. Boley was a two-time All-American, including consensus honors in 2004, the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year in 2004 and a three-time All-C-USA selection. He was tabbed a national semifinalist for the Butkus, Bednarik and Lott Awards, while winning the Conerly Trophy, given since 1996 to Mississippi’s best college football player. He earned C-USA Defensive Player of the Week honors four times and National Player of the Week honors by the Football Writers Association of America and the Walter Camp Foundation. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 2005.
A native of Bay Springs, Miss., Pollard played at Stringer High School and completed an outstanding Southern Miss playing career in 1997 by helping lead the team to a 9-3 record, a C-USA championship and a Liberty Bowl title. He led the team in tackles (114), a total that was good for fifth place in the conference. He was in double figures in tackles eight times in 11 games as a senior and had a season-best 13 stops in the season opener at Florida.
Pollard earned his undergraduate degree from Southern Miss in coaching and sport administration in the spring of 1998 and his master’s degree in the fall of 1999. Pollard and his wife, Kristina, have two sons, Ty and Klabron. Ty joined the Golden Eagle football team prior to the 2015 season.
