Pollard "ecstatic" to once again put on the pads and play the sport he loves

Pollard was selected by the Michigan Panthers.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Wed Feb 23 14:00:07 GMT-04:00 2022

It’s been a long time since Sean Pollard has played football, but he’s ready to buckle the chinstrap and hit someone.

Pollard was selected by the Michigan Panthers on Wednesday in the USFL’s spring league draft. The league is set to begin on April 16 with a regular season played in Birmingham, Alabama and aired on NBC and FOX-owned channels.

Pollard knew there was interest from the USFL, so he wasn’t too surprised when Panthers head coach Jeff Fisher called him Wednesday.

“I was guessing that was it. I don't have social media, so I was trying to log on and see what round they were in. I had no idea,” Pollard told TigerNet. “I saw Round 20 pop up and I waited and my phone rang. I had no idea who it was because I don't have any of the numbers of the coaches on my phone. And it just happened it was Coach Fisher.”

Fisher’s message was simple.

“He told me that he was excited to work with me,” Pollard said. “He also congratulated me on getting picked up and they are excited to see me play.”

The spring league is viewed by many players as a potential springboard to the NFL.

“That's the hope, obviously. But I haven't played football in a while so it will be nice to get the pads back on and start playing the sport I fell in love with,” Pollard said. “I've been out of it for a little bit so this is an awesome opportunity.”

Pollard worked with a strength coach at home in North Carolina and then recently transitioned to Buford, Georgia, to get back into playing shape. The next step is heading to Alabama for training camp.

“I don't think it's official yet, but I've heard that March 21st is the report date and then we are all heading down to Birmingham,” he said. “I am not exactly sure but I am going to wait on that phone call and see what happens.”

No matter what happens, Pollard is happy to put on the pads once again.

“I am ecstatic. It's been a while since I've been back at football and words can't explain it,” Pollard said.

Pollard played 2,328 snaps over 55 games (38 starts) in his Clemson career, playing at tackle, guard and center during a four-year span from 2016-19 in which the Tigers went 55-4 and won two national championships.

Pollard signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2020. Pollard is a third former Tiger to be announced during the USFL draft, joining Isaiah Battle (Pittsburgh Maulers) and Diondre Overton (Philadelphia Stars).