Notre Dame: January 2009 Archives

Cajon defensive back Marlon Pollard verbally committed to UCLA after visiting the school on Jan. 10, decommitting from Notre Dame in the process. But that hasn't stopped the Fighting Irish from pursuing Pollard, a four-star recruit according to Rivals.com and Scout.com.

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Corwin Brown stopped by the Pollard household last Wednesday to meet with the 6-foot-1, 170-pound all-CIF and all-County first-team selection and will have an in-home with the Pollard family Wednesday night according to Marlon's mother, Rachael Pollard.

"We have a great deal of respect for Corwin and a great deal of appreciation for how Notre Dame has approached their recruitment of Marlon," Pollard said. "We believe in not closing doors and getting all the information possible. Corwin has been up front with Marlon throughout this entire process and wants to put all the information he has out on the table."

Rachael Pollard reiteriated that her son is 100 percent committed to UCLA, with whom Marlon committed to prior to his junior year at Valencia before decommitting after Karl Dorrell's firing for Notre Dame, citing the bond Marlon had with the players and UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel.

"Marlon has a bond with the UCLA players and really wants to stay home and play in front of his family and friends," Rachael said. "That's the reason why we moved back to the Inland Empire to begin with. Our family is out here and Marlon was born in Pomona and played youth football in Rancho Cucamonga. He wanted to come back to where he was from.

"He wants to play in Southern California for coach Neuheisel. (Neuheisel) was very upfront about mistakes he made in his past and very honest about it, which is something we appreciate."

Marlon Pollard had already decided that he was going to come back to UCLA, with whom he had originally verbally committed to before decommitting to Notre Dame, during his official visit on Saturday.

But before the Cajon senior cornerback officially announced that, he had another comeback to take care of first.

"I was playing pool with (UCLA freshman defensive back) Rahim Moore and the stakes were that if I lost, I had to commit right away," Pollard said. "I didn't make any off the break and then he sunk five balls in a row. I thought I was going to lose for sure."

Pollard ended up making the miraculous billiards comeback, allowing him to keep his intentions quiet. But that's not something that Pollard could do for along as Bruin players, recruits, coaches and parents gathered together at head coach Rick Neuheisel's house.

"One of the other guys, I forgot his name, got up and announced his commitment 15 or 20 minutes later and I was like 'What about me, coach? What about me?'" Pollard said. "The coaches let me announce the commitment and everyone was happy."

Most importantly, Pollard is happy with being a Bruin, ending a nearly two-year recruiting saga. The 6-foot-1, 160-pound defensive back committed to UCLA coach Karl Dorrell before his junior year, only to decommit after Dorrell was fired. He then committed to Notre Dame over the summer, but UCLA kept up their pursuit. Stanford also joined in late.

"UCLA has been recruiting Marlon for over two years," said Marlon's mother, Rachael Pollard. "He was the youngest player ever to commit to UCLA. We just felt really comfortable with the players and coaches. We felt it was one big family. I'm very thankful to Stanford and Notre Dame for the interest they showed in Marlon."

Rachael Pollard also cited the job security, or lack thereof, of Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis as a factor. But ultimately, it was where Marlon felt comfortable that won out in her mind.

"It definitely helped that coach Neuheisel is going to be there 3-4 years at the very least," Pollard said. "But if there's one thing I've learned in this process, it's that at the end of the day, it's his decision. As a parent, you have your opinions, but it's needs to be his decision. And Marlon is really happy about UCLA and I'm happy for him. It's a comfortable, family environment with great education opportunities."

With Pollard, UCLA has a big Inland Empire contingent, as he joins Los Osos quarterback Richard Brehaut, Bloomington fullback Jayson Allmond and Diamond Ranch cornerback Brandon Sermons as Bruin committs. That connection, plus bonds he made with other players in the class, was important.

"Richard and I talk a lot," Pollard said. "I also have a pretty good relationship with (Carson TE) Morrell Presley and (La Puente Bishop Amat CB) Sheldon Price. I can't wait to play with all those guys."

After talking to UCLA commit Jayson Allmond at the conclusion of the Inland Empire All-Star Football Classic, I learned that Cajon cornerback Marlon Pollard has switched his commitment back from Notre Dame to UCLA. A corresponding story has gone up on Rivals.com which can be read here.

"I just heard tonight," said Allmond after San Bernardino's 38-7 loss to Riverside County at Los Osos High School. "It's great to have him as a Bruin."

Pollard is on his official visit to UCLA this weekend, which is why he didn't take part in the all-star game. The 6-foot-1, 160-pound cornerback transferred to Cajon from Valencia last winter. He had verbally committed to UCLA in the summer of 2007 but decommitted over this past summer after Karl Dorrell was fired and Rick Neuheisel was hired. He committed to Notre Dame in July and said his commitment was solid when Charlie Weis visited the Cajon campus in early December, but concerns over Weis' job security and Neuheisel's persistence seems to have won out.

Pollard joins an Inland Empire-heavy Bruin recruiting class which includes Allmond, Los Osos QB Richard Brehaut and Diamond Ranch CB Brandon Sermons. I'll have a more in-depth account with Pollard himself up tomorrow.