I Follow: David Pollack
Editor’s note: I Follow is all about ESPN employees on Twitter: what they tweet, whom they follow and how you can interact socially with anyone and everyone.
Today, we focus on ESPN College Football analyst David Pollack.
Pollack was a defensive end at the University of Georgia, where he was three-time All-American.
He was a Cincinnati Bengals’ 2005 first-round draft pick. Pollack retired in 2008 after he broke a cervical vertebra in a 2006 game against the Cleveland Browns.
He joined ESPN in 2008, and his role as analyst has grown every year. This season he will join College Gameday, as well as cohost a show with Jesse Palmer called Palmer & Pollack that will air on ESPNU.
Pollack discusses why he uses Twitter, Palmer & Pollack and the SEC.
Twitter handle: @DavidPollack47
ESPN Job: College Football Analyst
Followers: 17,711 (As of 8/11/2011)
Following: 187
FR: Why do you use Twitter?
DP: It’s an incredible resource for gathering information and making you better at your job. You can access information by having it come to you. It’s a great place to meet and interact with people.
FR: Who’s the coolest person who follows you on Twitter?
DP: I have no clue, haha. My wife is following me. I think that’s pretty cool.
FR: Who is your favorite person to follow on Twitter?
DP: Man, that’s a tough question. I’d probably say it’s the different beat writers of the different teams. Anyone who has something to do with college football I like because I’m a college football junkie.
FR: Tell us about your new show Palmer and Pollack
DP: It’s going to be really cool because we’re going to do a good job of incorporating Twitter and other social media. The coolest part is getting to interact with the fans. The fans are going to have a say in what we talk about. We’re going to cover college football: Jesse and I just sittin’ back and kickin it, covering the major topics of college football. Jesse is a cool cat and we’re going to enjoy working together.
FR: What are you looking forward to this season?
DP: Just getting started again. It doesn’t get any better than college football. I’ve been preparing now for months with different magazines and following the teams. It’s like football, in that you’re tired of hitting your own team, you’re ready to go hit someone else. That’s how I feel too. I’m ready to see the different teams and different games, and make some predictions.
FR: You’re joining College Gameday this fall. How excited are you to join the show?
DP: I’m really excited. I’ll be co-hosting with Erin Andrews for the first hour, and then sprinkled in for the rest of the show. I’m an SEC guy, so I’ve seen those environments, but I’m excited to see the other places around the country. We go to Michigan in Week 2, and I haven’t had the chance to see their campus. Then we go to Florida State in Week 3. I’m just excited to visit all these different places. It’s going to be really cool.
FR: You’re an SEC guy, so who do you think will be the two standout teams in the conference this season?
DP: Wow. That’s a tough question. There are just so many good teams. The West Division is crazy. You have five teams in the top-20 in the country. Poor Old Miss, haha. I think Alabama has a chance to repeat what they did two seasons ago. They have a dominant defense, but inexperience at the quarterback position. LSU has some questions, but they have athletes. LSU and Alabama just have athletes. There is a difference between LSU and Alabama athletes and the rest of the teams; and that’s across the board.
