USC’s Kiel Pollard: Perspective, passion major parts of his game

At 6-foot tall, Kiel Pollard is not the tallest of South Carolina’s five-member freshman receiver class. At 230 pounds, he is the heaviest.

The distinction of being the fastest likely goes to Korey Banks.

Overall it’s a talented group of newcomers facing the probability that as many as two or three will play this season.

Pollard admitted to thinking about what sets him apart as a player. His conclusion? It’s what’s inside that counts.

“I think I’m a better football player,” he said. “My passion for the game and how much I love the game. It’s not all about how fast you are or how big you are. If you give your all and you play the hardest, I think that’s how you should measure everything. I play every game like it’s my last.”

Pollard credited his perspective to his experiences in the close-knit south Georgia town of Moultrie, where he played for the county’s only high school and a football powerhouse.

Pollard helped lead Colquitt County High to two consecutive undefeated seasons and state championship victories. He was the state of Georgia’s 6A Offensive Player of the Year with 76 catches for 1,163 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior.

Those origins helped shape his take on his present and future.

“Just where I come from, the program, how much work we put into it. To go undefeated two years in a row is a great achievement,” he said. “You do whatever you have to do to not lose a game. That carries on with life when you’re done with football. Just keep fighting with whatever you’re doing.”

He was recruited by Will Muschamp while he was head coach at Florida. Muschamp stayed in touch during his year as defensive coordinator at Auburn, then set his sights on Pollard soon after taking over at South Carolina in December.

Pollard, then an Arkansas commit, became one of several “flips” in Muschamp’s first USC recruiting class that put a premium on offensive playmakers. His commitment to the Gamecocks was strong enough to withstand National Signing Day pushes by both Auburn and Georgia.

“He’s another guy that comes from a winning program,” Muschamp said. “He’s a competitive guy that can play in the slot and on the edge.”

Rivals ranked him as a four-star prospect. He touted all aspects of his game: receiving, route running, blocking and a propensity to catch the ball in traffic. He said he’s drawn comparisons to NFL receivers Anquan Boldin and Alshon Jeffery, a former Gamecock.

Pollard also long-snapped for three seasons in high school.

“I’ve got do to whatever I can do to get on the field,” he said. “If I have to long snap, I’ll long snap. If I have to play special teams to help the team win, I’ll play special teams.”

Pollard played basketball and ran track for Colquitt County. He also was part of the spring softball league for Salem Baptist Church in Pavo, Ga.

He and close friend and quarterback Chase Parrish, a Navy signee, were regulars as mentors in a local elementary school and as visitors to a nursing home.

Again, it’s about perspective, he said.

“I’m not going to be young forever,” he said. “One day I might have to be at the nursing home. I want some of the youth to come around and be around us so we can talk to them. Every nursing home I’ve been to, there’s been at least one older guy that knew who I was. That’s always fun.”

Having an opportunity to play at South Carolina and be five hours from home was something he couldn’t pass up, he said.

“I’m going to go in and work by butt off and see how far it takes me and have fun with it,” Pollard said. “That’s the biggest thing. I’m going to have fun with it and enjoy life.”