After hinting at staff changes after his team’s Egg Bowl loss in November, Mississippi State head coach Sylvester Croom has hired three new assistants to replace coaches who were let go.Ben Pollard will replace Jim Nowell as the Bulldogs’ head strength and conditioning coach.
Pollard has spent the last three years in the same capacity at Texas A&M under former Alabama head coach Dennis Francione.
Pollard had worked with Francione previously at both Alabama and Texas Christian.
He was nominated for National Strength and Conditioning Professional of the Year in 2000 thanks to his work with the TCU squad ESPN The Magazine called “the strongest in the land.”
Nowell was let go immediately after the season, reportedly for engaging in an argument with an assistant coach from another sport.
Last week, Croom hired assistants Charlie Harbison and Pat Washington, both veterans with plenty of SEC experience, to replace wide receivers coach Guy Holliday and special teams coach Amos Jones.
Holliday has been at MSU for four seasons, a holdover from Jackie Sherrill’s staff. Jones came to MSU in 2003 as part of Croom’s initial staff.
Harbison spent the last four years at Alabama, where he coached wide receivers.
Prior to that he spent two years at LSU and was part of the staff that led the Tigers to the 2001 SEC championship.
Washington was the receivers coach for Kansas State last season, but before that he spent 11 seasons on Philip Fulmer’s staff at Tennessee.
During that span, the Volunteers went to 10 bowl games and won the national championship in 1998.
“I am pleased to be able to add two excellent people to our staff that have substantial coaching and recruiting experience in the Southeastern Conference,” Croom said in a statement released by the MSU athletic department. “With the addition of strength coach Ben Pollard, we have added three good people with recent bowl experience that will help significantly as we continue to grow this program.