Regardless of what happens over the next three days, Nash Nance will have no regrets.
The former Darlington School, Calhoun High School, University of Tennessee and Hampden-Sydney University quarterback has obviously taken an unusual football path. Yet here he is as the NFL draft begins with the knowledge that, while he’s not likely to hear his name called in Chicago, the idea of playing professional football isn’t just a fantasy.
In fact, one pre-draft story likened him to Tony Romo, an undrafted free agent who’s done all right with the Cowboys. Another said he was a hidden gem who just needed a shot.
Nance, a two-time Division III All-American at Hampden-Sydney who put up over 7,400 total offensive yards in his junior and senior seasons, smiles at the Romo comparison and takes it with a grain of salt.
“I think it was because we’re both good golfers,” Nance joked. “Seriously, it’s good to be compared to a great player like that. There have been a lot of nice things said and written about me lately, and I’m really thankful.”
After leading the small Virginia school to back-to-back playoff seasons, Nance won the Willie Lanier Award, signifying the state’s best non-Division I football player. In addition to all the yards, he passed and ran for 82 touchdowns in his final two seasons and was an Academic All-American.
Following the season he began training in hopes of catching the eye of NFL scouts, which he did at a regional combine in Baltimore. He finished first in all the quarterback drills except for the 40-yard dash and the broad jump, where the 6-foot-3, 212-pounder finished second in each.
He’s had conversations with numerous teams, with Tampa Bay and Carolina showing the most interest, though he understands his odds of making an NFL roster will be long.
“I’ve been told I will probably be an undrafted free agent and that I should get a camp invite,” he said. “You’ve just got to wait and see. There are a lot of guys out there in the same position. The key is just get into a camp and turn some heads. Once you get the opportunity that’s all you can ask for, and then it’s all in your hands.”
Scouts have been honest with him, saying the level of play in Division III will be his biggest obstacle in winning a team over. He has options, though, after showing out at a Canadian Football League combine and working out for four CFL teams. Several European teams also have expressed interest.
“That would be kind of an experience deal, you know: see Europe and play some football,” Nance said. “The CFL is obsessed with guys with big arms. The field is so much wider in Canada and the weather is more of an issue, so that’s kind of intriguing.”
Of course, sooner or later the business world will be Nance’s ultimate designation. He would, however, like to keep playing. Either way he’s not going to fret over it and he will never wonder, what if?
“If I don’t get a camp invite it’s not the end of the world,” he said. “You never know, though, who is going to call. Hopefully in the next week we’ll have some big news. If not, I have no regrets because I’ve out-performed my expectations.”
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296.