Ryan Pollard is in his third year at Baylor as a Quality Control Coach, focusing on special teams.
Pollard has helped form one of the nation’s top special teams units in his two previous years.
In 2024, Pollard helped direct another dynamic special teams unit, which ranked No. 4 nationally in ESPN Special Teams Efficiency, behind only Florida State, Iowa and Michigan. In BCF Toys FEI Special Teams Ratings, Baylor ranked No. 10 nationally.
The Bears were led by a pair of nation leaders in special teams in 2024, including Palmer Williams, who led the nation, in ESPN’s punt average statistics, and set a program record with 49.35 yards per punt. As a team, Baylor ranked No. 8 in net punting nationally.
Baylor ranked No. 1 nationally in punting average, with junior WR Josh Cameron averaging 20.71 yards per punt return, which finished just shy of the national individual lead in terms of minimum punt returns. Baylor’s punt average was the tops in program history.
Kicker Isaiah Hankins finished the year ranked among the Baylor career and season leaders in nearly every kicking category, ranking No. 3 in PATs, No. 8 in PAT percentage, No. 3 in points, No. 2 in field-goals made, No. 7 in field-goal percentage and No. 3 in field-goals attempted. In season history, Hankins ranked eighth in points and field-goal percentage.
As a team in 2024, Baylor also ranked No. 27 in blocked kicks, No. 20 in blocked punts, No. 44 in kickoff returns and No. 44 in punt return defense.
Pollard’s first year at BU saw the special teams unit jump to No. 5 nationally in ESPN Special Teams Efficiency numbers and third among power-4 conference schools. That was a 113-ranking jump for Baylor in Pollard’s first year, which saw BU ranked No. 118 in the same category the year prior to his arrival. In BCF Toys FEI Special Teams Ratings, Baylor ranked No. 1 nationally in 2023, an improvement of 127 spots after a No. 128 national ranking in the same category in 2022.
In 2023, the Bears ranked among several national leaders in special teams, including No. 32 in blocked kicks, No. 19 in kickoff returns and No. 12 in punt returns.
A former standout defensive back at Rice, Pollard joined the Baylor coaching staff after spending the previous season as a graduate assistant at North Texas under Seth Littrell. He also spent the previous six seasons as the defensive backs coach at Arlington Martin High School.
Pollard helped lead the Mean Green to the Conference USA Championship Game in 2022, where he helped mentor three all-conference defensive backs. In addition to his work with the UNT defensive backs, Pollard assisted in special teams preparation.
Before joining the UNT staff in July of 2022, Pollard worked for six seasons at Arlington Martin High School, coaching the defensive backs and special teams units.
While coaching under Bob Wager at Martin High School, Pollard helped 16 defensive backs earn all-district accolades and four athletes earn special teams player of the year honors, at a school renowned for their special teams prowess. He served as the recruiting coordinator at Martin, working with collegiate coaches to further the opportunities for Martin’s athletes at the college level.
In addition to his role with the football program, Pollard served as the head track & field coach for five years, where helped Martin win a pair of 8-6A District Championships in 2021 and 2022.
Pollard was a standout student-athlete at Rice University from 2012-16, under Coach David Bailiff. He led the Owls in interceptions and pass break-ups in 2014, earned special teams player of the week honors from Rice twice and was named C-USA Defensive Player of the Week once. Pollard helped lead Rice to a C-USA Championship and a pair of bowl games, including the Armed Forces and Hawaii Bowls.
He was a four-time member of the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll and earned the prestigious National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society status in 2016, recognizing a 3.2 cumulative GPA over his collegiate career.
He is a member of the Texas High School Coaches Association and was honored as an inaugural member of the ROCK Coaches Program, honoring those with the following characteristics, rare, outstanding, compelled and knowledgeable.
A native of Arlington, Texas, Pollard and his wife Meghan have a daughter, Karsyn.
