Dylan Pollard was a late bloomer of sorts on the football field, but that didn’t keep the Lamar left guard from seeking out an opportunity to keep playing.

Tuesday afternoon, that effort paid off, as Pollard signed with Kentucky Christian University to continue his football career.

“I followed them on their Hudl account, and they followed me back and saw my senior highlights,” Pollard explained. “They decided to bring me up on a visit and offer me a full-ride scholarship.”

Hudl an online service that hosts game tape for teams and individual football players, and it’s one of the many tools prep football players are using to get their names out in hopes of earning college scholarships. Raiders head coach Mac Barnes credited Pollard’s family with helping their son earn a scholarship by knowing the right resources.

“Dylan going to college (to play) has a lot to do with his family,” Barnes said. “They looked at different schools and found a school on their own. I never talked to their coaches. They drove up there and visited. Recruiting has changed. So much is done on the Internet now.”

Still, credit also goes toward Pollard for excelling on the field his senior year, Barnes added.

“Dylan transferred to us halfway through his junior season, so I didn’t really know much about him,” Barnes said. “He worked really hard in the offseason, and we really didn’t find a position for him where he ended up playing really well until about halfway through the season, and that was at offensive guard. A series of events transpired to move him from defense to offense, and he started there the rest of the year.”

On his visit, Pollard said he was impressed with everything Kentucky Christian had to offer, making the decision to sign with the school an easy one.

“I really liked how beautiful their campus was and how friendly my future teammates are going to be, and how amazing the facilities are there,” Pollard said.

Pollard will play offensive line in college as well, and since his experience there is limited, Barnes said there still room for Pollard to keep improving as a player.

“He hasn’t played a lot of football, and that’s one of the things I don’t think college coaches look at — it’s not where someone is when they graduate, it’s where they’ll be in four years when the graduate from college,” Barnes said. “He’s an extremely hard worker and a respectful young man, and I’m just really proud for him and glad he wants to go on and play football.”

Pollard said he’s grateful for the chance to continue his career and for Lamar helping to develop him as a player and a person.

“It’s every high school kid’s dream to continue playing,” Pollard said. “I’ve just been blessed with this wonderful situation. It’s meant so much to me (being at Lamar). Playing with a wonderful coach like Mac Barnes and learning everything he’s taught me about being a football player and a man, I’m just really thankful for that.”