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Texas Tech's Brice Pollock has NFL Draft decision to make after CFP
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- Texas Tech's Brice Pollock has NFL Draft decision to make after CFP
Brandon Pollock had a successful run as a safety during his college career at Duke, coming up with five career interceptions. His son, Brice Pollock, only needed one season to match that total.
"He's proud," Brice said of his father. "A little jealous, but he's proud. He just wishes he could play in the NIL era."
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Pollock is one of the unsung heroes of the Texas Tech football team's elite defense this season. The Mississippi State transfer entered the year with one career interception in two seasons with the Bulldogs. As a junior, Pollock is tied for sixth in the nation with five interceptions.
While most of the Texas Tech football team's top NFL Draft prospects for 2026 are seniors who will exhaust their eligibility at the end of the season, Pollock is among the handful who have a decision to make once the Red Raiders ' run in the College Football Playoff comes to an end.
"It definitely is a decision," Pollock coyly responded on Saturday when asked if he's made the choice whether to declare for the draft.
"I've been thinking about it a lot during the season," Pollock continued. "I'm pretty sure I know what I want to do, but I don't want to tell you something and something else changes."
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Pollock's smart to play both sides right now. A good showing against Oregon 's talented receiving corps in the Orange Bowl could elevate his draft stock more. The 6-foot, 195-pound native of Snellville, Georgia, is considered the 19th-best cornerback this season, according to Pro Football Focus, which grades him fourth in the Big 12 Conference.
Texas Tech players celebrate an interception by Brice Pollock (14) during a non-conference football game, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, at Jones AT&T Stadium.
Pollock said he's spent plenty of time this season talking to Texas Tech's cornerbacks coach Darcel McBath about his impending decision. McBath, who coached Pollock in 2023 at Mississippi State, spent five years in the NFL after being a second-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.
"He's done it," Pollock said of McBath, "he's been through the same stuff I'm going through. But one thing he says is, like, it's my decision, and he's not gonna try to persuade me any other way."
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Though Pollock could be on his way to the NFL, he's also started being a recruiter for Texas Tech's potential transfer portal targets, players who could be his teammate with the Red Raiders should he return. He's joined the likes of Terrance Carter Jr. and Howard Sampson interacting with players like Brendan Sorsby, the Cincinnati quarterback who announced earlier this month he'll be headed to the portal.
Like Pollock, Sorsby will have his own NFL decision to make. But Pollock has his own recruiting pitch for anybody hoping to come to Lubbock like he did.
"I've never been a part of a coaching staff so energetic and positive," Pollock said. "I really believe that feeds off how you play. If you have a lot of positive coaches just wanting you to be better and no negative. ... It's like a genuine coaching staff, especially with Coach (Joey) McGuire."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Will Texas Tech football's Brice Pollock declare for NFL Draft?
