Penn Hills grad Dontae Pollard glad to be out of transfer portal, eager to play for Temple

By: Josh Rizzo
Sunday, June 22, 2025 | 11:01 AM

Dontae Pollard didn’t feel good either time he entered the transfer portal to find a new home to play college football. Both times, the quick reaction he drew from schools helped provide him comfort.

Pollard recently announced he would use his final season of eligibility at Temple following two years at Samford. Pollard, a Penn Hills graduate, initially started his career with Akron.

“You always have anxiety going into the portal,” Pollard said. “Luckily for me and my situation, both times, the day I entered the portal I got two scholarship offers right away. I always wanted to try and get out of the portal as quickly as possible.”

The Owls are entering a new era. Former Sam Houston State coach K.C. Keeler was hired to lead the program after Stan Drayton was fired after 10 weeks in his third season.

Temple went 3-9 last season.

Pollard, who plays defensive back, is excited to challenge himself at a higher level again. During his two seasons at Akron, Pollard saw limited action and recorded three tackles.

What he is most looking forward to about the American Athletic Conference is the variety of offenses Temple will be tasked with stopping. The Owls have to worry about pass-heavy offenses as well as the challenges of slowing down option attacks like Army and Navy.

“I’m going to see a lot of different looks, and the athletes are a level up from FCS,” Pollard said. “My best games last year were against FBS opponents.”

Samford finished 4-7 last season. Pollard recorded 7.5 tackles for loss and recorded 3.5 sacks. He intercepted a pass against Western Carolina.

Pollard said he enjoyed his time at Samford and got a new perspective on life.

“What caught my eye when I went to Samford was they had an 11-2 season and only lost to North Dakota State,” Pollard said. “I wanted to get out of my comfort zone. Akron isn’t far from Pittsburgh, and I wanted to try something new and test myself. I fit in well.”

Defensive backs from Penn Hills have done an effective job of utilizing the portal to find new opportunities.

Raion Strader will play at Auburn this season after spending two years at Miami (Ohio). Corey Thomas Jr. went from Akron to Virginia and earned a tryout with the New York Giants.

Aakeem Snell started out with Saint Francis before ending up at Central Michigan.

“It gave me confidence to enter the portal,” Pollard said. “I saw those guys go through the transition, and I worked out with some of them. I saw what the portal could do. It gave me a sense of relief that I could enter the portal if I wanted to.”

Tags: Penn Hills