Pollard Named as Jones College’s Next Head Football Coach

ELLISVILLE, Miss. – Lytrel Pollard was introduced as Jones College’s 17th head football coach by president Dr. Jesse Smith to a room full of players, coaches, family and supporters at the Home & Health Building Wednesday afternoon.

The 48-year-old Pollard has built a strong defensive coaching resume over the past 26 seasons with experience at the FBS level and Mississippi junior college. 

Pollard served as the Bobcats’ defensive coordinator for the past six years, including the last three as assistant head coach. This will be his first head coaching job.

“First and foremost, I want to thank God for all that he has done for me,” Pollard said. “I am very thankful to the Jones College Board of Trustees and Dr. Smith for giving me the opportunity to lead this great program. It’s been a dream come true for me and my family.”

Pollard coached the final two games of the 2024 season in an interim head coach role, leading Jones to wins over Southwest, 37-21, and Pearl River, 16-10.

“My philosophy is to play fast and physical,” Pollard continued. “I will teach these young men about football and life. I want to spread the ball around on offense and let our playmakers do their job. On defense, we will continue to play a pressure-based defense with multiple looks.”

Pollard has produced an NJCAA Top 20 defense in five of the last six seasons, including the NJCAA’s 14th-best scoring defense and 15th total defense in 2023. 

Jones topped the nation in interception return yardage in 2021 and 2022. The Bobcats led the nation with 22 interceptions in 2021, returning four of them for touchdowns. Eleven different players had at least one interception, with West Virginia University signee Hershey McLaurin leading the way with five.

Jones had the NJCAA’s 16th-best total defense last season, 17th in 2021 and 12th-ranked total defense in 2019.

Pollard guided the Bobcats to the nation’s top scoring defense unit in his first season in 2019, allowing just 11.8 points per game and giving up just 261.2 yards per game.

Forty-eight defensive players have gone on to sign with senior colleges in his six seasons, including 11 to Power 5 programs.

In 2018 as defensive coordinator at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, the Bulldogs ranked second in the NJCAA in passing yards allowed, fourth in total points and fifth in points per game allowed. Eight of his players signed to play at the four-year level at season’s end.

Prior to that, Pollard was at Southern Miss since 2013 where he served as defensive backs and running backs coach. It was his second coaching stint at his alma mater having previously been there from 1999-2007 when he oversaw special teams, defensive backs, linebackers and defensive ends.

During his time with the Golden Eagles, he coached linebacker Michael Boley, kick returner John Eubanks, defensive backs Brandon Sumrall, C.J. Bailey, Kalan Reed and Cornell Armstrong, all First-Team All-Conference USA honorees, as well as Ito Smith, the school’s second-leading rusher of all time. Boley was a two-time All-American who won the Conerly Trophy, given to the best college player in Mississippi.

Pollard coached cornerbacks at Memphis in 2008-09 before going to Mississippi College to be the defensive coordinator. The Choctaws improved from ninth to fifth in the American Southwest Conference in total defense.

He was defensive coordinator at Tennessee-Martin in 2011, where his defense finished second in the Ohio Valley Conference. Before returning to USM, Pollard spent a year as cornerbacks coach at Marshall University.

Pollard played his college ball at USM, leading the Golden Eagles to back-to-back Conference USA titles. A four-year letterwinner and a two-year starter, Pollard had an outstanding career at linebacker with 274 total tackles despite being an overlooked player during his tenure. He was inducted into the Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame in the spring of 2022.

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.

The Bay Springs product was a three-time state champion in both football and baseball at Stringer. He was an all-state performer his sophomore to senior seasons and invited to play in the Bernard Blackwell All-Star Game and baseball all-star game.

Pollard takes over for Steve Buckley who went 59-23 over nine seasons.