Former Rebel Linebacker Tayler Polk Back in the Vaught Saturday as Tulane’s Co-Defensive Coordinator
OXFORD, Miss. — With Ole Miss and Tulane gearing up for the 74th time this weekend, a lot of talk this week has been focused on Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall. His coaching abilities and the disruption that his teams bring to opponents have not gone unnoticed by Rebels’ head coach Lane Kiffin as he prepares for the Green Wave to travel to Oxford Saturday.
“This is a really really good football team, in all phases, obviously they play good defense. They have really good schemes, and play really hard defense. Same defensive structure and coaching when we played Troy here (2022). They do a great job tackling, they play really physical, this is one of the better coached teams in the country.”
Lane Kiffin on Tulane’s coaching and defense
A big part of the defensive credit goes to co-defensive coordinator Tayler Polk. Polk, a native of Brandon, Mississippi, played for the Ole Miss Rebels from 2014-2017. He joined the team in 2013 as a non-scholarship player, but he would soon make his presence felt.
Let’s all watch and relish in the absurdity of the replay of Tayler Polk covering Christian Kirk. pic.twitter.com/zahs1VmfvT
— Ben Garrett (@SpiritBen) November 19, 2017
Fans can expect Tulane’s defense to bring the same intensity as Polk.
What a story! Ole Miss LB Tayler Polk, once a walk on, now making tackles against Georgia RB Nick Chubb Saturday. pic.twitter.com/V6jSNqbUyy
— Bryan Fenley (@BryanFenley) September 27, 2016
Named the 2012 Jackson Metro Player of the Year and a first team All-State selection by The Clarion-Ledger, Polk played in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game after his senior year and notched six tackles with a tackle for loss. During his senior year, he tallied 213 tackles, five sacks and two interceptions.
In his final game for Brandon, Polk displayed video game numbers, pocketing 35 tackles in the Class 6A state championship game. Polk would go on to win the Region 3-6A MVP award.
Polk graduated from Ole Miss with a bachelor’s degree in general studies in 2017 and received his master’s from Ole Miss in teaching in 2019.
He appeared in every game during that span for Ole Miss and was known for giving it 100 percent on every single play.
Here’s another Ole Miss Rebel with a heart the size of the state of Mississippi: Tayler Polk. ❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/ylOQBfk47J
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) November 19, 2017
When his eligibility expired, he began his coaching career as a graduate assistant for two seasons under Matt Luke.
Polk and Sumrall crossed paths at Ole Miss in 2018. Polk was an assistant working with the Rebels’ linebackers and special teams units, while Sumrall was brought in from Troy in the same role, as the linebackers coach.
The two played a key role in Ole Miss improving its rushing defense from 110th nationally in 2017, to 44th in 2018.
Sumrall would leave Ole Miss for Kentucky in 2019 to become the inside linebackers coach and would be elevated to co-defensive coordinator in 2021 for the Wildcats.
In 2020, Polk would transition to Central Arkansas to be the outside linebackers coach before taking over the reins of the entire unit in 2021. Central Arkansas led the FCS in turnovers forced and defensive touchdowns during the 2020 season, also finishing third in sacks and tackles for loss.
The Bears’ special teams were strong under Polk, with the kickoff return unit finishing 11th nationally in 2021, while the 2020 team ranked first in kickoff returns, second in punt returns, fourth in kickoff coverage and fifth in punt coverage.
In 2022 when Jon Sumrall was hired as the Head Coach of the Troy Trojans, he gave a call to Polk, hoping he would join his staff.
“I had the pleasure of getting to know Tayler when he was a graduate assistant at Ole Miss,” Sumrall said.
“He’s one of the brightest young coaches in the game and has a motor that never stops. Tayler did a fantastic job with not only the linebackers but also the special teams while he was at Central Arkansas, and we’re excited to welcome him and Eliza to the Troy Family,” Sumrall said.
In 2022, Ole Miss and Troy began their seasons against one another. Jaxson Dart’s first game at Ole Miss resulted in a 28-10 win over the Trojans, but the efforts of Sumrall’s team didn’t go unnoticed.
Sumrall shared a story during pressers this week, regarding a meaningful moment he shared with Lane Kiffin’s father, Monte Kiffin, after that game in 2022.
“He comes over, and he goes, ‘Hey, our team is way better than y’all, he said, ‘but man, y’all are tough.’”
Sumrall explained the elder Kiffin’s words meant so much to him.
“He said, ‘Keep doing what you’re doing.’ I needed to hear that the first game as head coach. We just got our butts kicked, and I’ll never forget what it was like. It was a moment that I shared with Monte that was, you know, I respect the heck out of him because he’s a great defensive mind and a big-time coach.”
Jon Sumrall on what Monte Kiffin said after win over Tulane
That moment changed Sumrall’s coaching career and changed the landscape for guys like Polk, who was promoted to co-defensive coordinator in 2023 for Troy. He did not disappoint.
In his lone season as the co-defensive coordinator of the Troy defense, Polk saw nine of his players earn All-Sun Belt yearly honors: defensive lineman Javon Solomon (First Team), defensive lineman Richard Jibunor (First Team), defensive back Reddy Stewart (First Team), defensive lineman TJ Jackson (Second Team), defensive back Dell Pettus (Second Team), defensive back Irshaad Davis (Third Team), defensive back O’Shai Fletcher (Honorable Mention), defensive lineman Budda Jones (Honorable Mention) and defensive back Caleb Ransaw (Honorable Mention).
Troy shut oppositions’ offenses down, allowing just 106.6 yards per game on the ground, the fewest for a Trojan team since 2004 and the sixth-lowest in program history, while Troy’s 308.1 yards per game allowed per game was its fewest since 2002 and the sixth-fewest in Sun Belt history.
When Sumrall took the Tulane job in 2024, there was no doubt that Polk would go with him.
The Green Wave defense finished 24th in the nation in 2024, allowing only 20.6 ppg. No doubt, the unit espouses their DC’s mentality, evident in a 2016 interview in Oxford.
“You’ve got to decide how bad you want it and how much you’re willing to give, and I’m willing to give it all.“
Tayler Polk
At 6, Tayler Polk’s goal as @OleMissFB walk-on is to be starting LB. @BrandonBulldogs alum on battling injuries. pic.twitter.com/2Uhz21FUst
— TJ Werre (@TJ_XTV) August 15, 2016
Polk was undersized while at Ole Miss, yet he played with the heart and grit of a champion. His tenacity and never-quit mentality was a force for the Rebels.
Look for his defense to display those same qualities Saturday in Vaught-Hemingway.
Daylan Flowers
Daylan is originally from Little Rock, Arkansas and currently a junior Journalism major at Ole Miss with an emphasis in sports media and a minor in history. In addition to his work for The Rebel Walk, Daylan is the creator of 'The Daylan Show,' a podcast that shares stories from people all over the sports and media world. He is an avid Arsenal, Cowboys, and St.Louis Cardinals fan. Daylan has a strong passion for photography, including many sporting events and photoshoots.
