CARMEL — Ozzy Pollard started his junior season of high school football at Carmel with a pair of Division I offers but no big expectations.

“At the start of the season if you told me I’d be able to get five touchdowns,” Pollard said, “I wouldn’t have believed you.”

It was a position switch, from defensive end to tight end, which helped the 6-4, 260-pound Pollard unlock his potential. Football went from something to do “to have fun with friends” to a sport he truly loved. The move, discussed by offensive coordinator Aaron Hahn and coach John Hebert after last season, almost immediately paid off.

In May, after working out in front of college coaches, Central Michigan and Indiana extended scholarship offers. Pollard, the son of 11-year NBA veteran and former Indiana Pacer Scot Pollard, had not played varsity football up to that point. Hebert said the switch started with the idea Pollard could help as a blocker. But it quickly became clear that there was something else there.

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“When IU came in and offered him right off (the college showcase), it let me know we were probably on the right track,” Hebert said. “Because he was really catching the ball and, not only that, he was really getting vertical with it. He looked athletic — like he belonged. I think we’re just scratching the surface, too. That’s the exciting part and he’s excited about it, too.”

Of Pollard’s five touchdowns, four came on short yardage running plays early in the season. In seven games (he missed two due to injury), he has 12 catches for 109 yards and another score for an offense that has struggled at times due to a mix of youth and inexperience. Though Pollard’s last name is probably more associated with basketball than football for fans of a certain age, his father did not push him one way or another.

He did not push any sport, in fact.

“He just told me to do what I love to do,” Pollard said. “That’s football.”

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Scot Pollard did have opportunities to play football. He was 6-11 and athletic in high school at Torrey Pines in San Diego, where his football coaches inquired about his interest in playing tight end.

“My dad always said, ‘Play an indoor sport, it’s always room temperature,’” Pollard said.

Pollard followed the advice of his father, former Utah star Pearl Pollard, who died before his son’s junior year of high school in 1991 of cardiomyopathy at age 54. Scot and his mother Marlyn moved to Kennewick, Wash., where he finished out his senior year of high school before going on to play four seasons at Kansas for Roy Williams.

It is that part, the recruiting process, where Scot believes he can help Ozzy through his journey.

“I do have a unique perspective on recruiting and overall I am encouraging him to enjoy the journey,” Scot said. “For me, it was life changing. Meeting the people I met during that process led me to Kansas. Invaluable connections. For Ozzy, it’s very important to me that he goes where he wants to go, where he feels is the best fit for him. Even if that’s not Kansas (laughs).”

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Pollard, drafted with the 19th pick by the Detroit Pistons in 1997, was known his wild hair styles and his defense over his 11-year NBA career, which included a memorable run with the up-and-coming Sacramento Kings from 1998-2003, followed by three seasons with the Pacers from 2003-06 before finishing out with Cleveland and Boston.

Ozzy is not old enough to remember his father’s NBA days. But he has seen clips.

“He’s always telling me had to guard Shaq,” Ozzy said of Pollard’s battles with Shaquille O’Neal. “He always laughs about the one time his coach thought he wasn’t guarding Shaq but he was just behind him.”

Ozzy was born in Carmel during his father’s NBA career, then lived briefly in Boston before moving back to Indiana prior to starting kindergarten. Ozzy grew up playing rec league basketball, which Scot helped coach.

“Did I want him to play?” Scot said. “Sure. But I’ve never pressured my kids to play a certain sport. Only that they are active and learn how to be a good teammate. Good youth coaches teach kids skills that help them later in life. That’s what youth sports are for. I’ve lived my career. My kids need to find their own paths.”

Scot was diagnosed with his own heart condition in March of 2021 and is currently undergoing testing to determine if a transplant is the solution. “It’s been a steady decline,” he said. But Friday nights are a welcome respite. The tailgating. The Mercenary BBQ. He hasn’t missed a game, home or away, despite his mobility issues.

“There’s no joy in the world greater than watching your children grow,” said Pollard. “I’m a very blessed father to have four kids that are such good people. The rest takes care of itself.”

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Enough time has passed from his father’s NBA career that Ozzy is not asked about it often. But it does come up from college football coaches.

“I’ve definitely gotten a lot of my athleticism from him,” Ozzy said. “My mom played sports, too. But a few colleges have talked to me about my dad’s basketball career.”

Ozzy did play basketball into middle school at Creekside. But he did not play a lot and did not truly love the sport. That was actually the case with football, too. He started playing football in seventh grade and while he was one of the team’s bigger players, he did not have a passion for it.

“I didn’t have a love for it,” he said. “Freshman year, not a big love for the game. Same with sophomore year. I feel like moving to tight end brought love for the game. I didn’t know it was going to be my sport or that I’d be able to take it this far.”

The position shift has also marked a shift in Pollard’s role on the team. He is quiet by nature, but has stepped up his vocal leadership.

“You don’t want to push people too fast to be vocal, especially as their play is emerging,” Hebert said. “But I told him once, ‘I think people would benefit from hearing your voice when we are working and competing.' He started doing that and it’s kind of had a snowball effect. He’s seeing progress because he loves it so much. That rubs off on people.”

Pollard could play tight end in college. Indiana likes him there. Central Michigan has talked to him about potentially moving to the offensive line. Iowa, Michigan, Purdue and Western Michigan are among the other schools he has been in contact with.

“I think (schools) like my ability to catch,” he said. “I’m a pretty big guy but I can move pretty well for my size. I couldn’t believe it when I got my first offer from Central Michigan, then IU. I didn’t think it’d be anything like that, but now I can definitely see myself going to college.”

Scot’s is offering help and advice to his son in the recruiting process. Not a lot. But when and where it’s needed. But his father is enjoying watching Ozzy find his “love.”

“Before it was, ‘I’m good at this, it comes easily to me,’” Scot said. “Now it’s ‘I love this and I’m going to get better.’ You can see it with his body language on the field. … He loves his teammates. He calls then out. Encourages. He’s coachable. It’s fun to watch him mature and be a great teammate.”

Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA football: Scot Pollard son Ozzy turning into Division I prospect