Former Texan Nick Stephens signs with Tennessee Titans

By Brad Keith, Stephenville Empire-Tribune

STEPHENVILLE - Tarleton State has another quarterback in the NFL.

Former Texan signal caller Nick Stephens signed a free agent deal with the Tennessee Titans Saturday after going unselected in the 2012 NFL Draft.

"I knew (Saturday) was most likely going to be the day something would happen, whether it was being drafted or signing as a free agent, Stephens said. "Needless to say, the last couple rounds and the time right after that were stressful. As soon as the draft ended I was getting calls from teams and just looking for the best deal for me."

He said he had been contacted by Tennessee just once before the draft.

"One of their scouts called me the other day and just said they would be in touch," he said. "They were the first ones to call me after the draft, so it was a surprise.

"I talked to my agent and he thought it was a great situation with a great team and great coaching staff, so it was a pretty easy decision."

Stephens, 25, passed for 3,005 yards and 20 touchdowns and led Tarleton to wins in each of its final five games last fall.

The former Flower Mound High School star began his career at Tennessee, where he started six games in 2008.

He lost the job in 2009 then transferred. He was injured and missed about half his junior season at Tarleton and the Texans started 1-5 his senior year before the long season-ending win streak.

"I was just telling my parents there were times it felt like it would never happen just because of the long path I've taken to get here," said Stephens, who has been with six different offensive coordinators the last six years.

"When it was finally over and everything worked out the way it did, it was kind of surreal. I just kept telling myself everything happens for a reason, and I kept a good attitude. That's what will get you through a lot of things."

Stephens has been busy since the season ended, working with former NFL quarterback Steve DeBerg and attending pro days and regional and super-regional combines. He becomes the second Tarleton QB currently in the NFL. Former Texan Richard Bartel, a Grapevine High School star who began his college career at SMU, is
currently with the Arizona Cardinals.

Now that the 6 foot, 3-1/4 inch QB has a team, his goal shifts to making the Titans' roster.

"I'm going to keep working out and keep throwing. We have rookie mini-camp coming up, so I'm just getting ready for that," Stephens said. "I'm going to talk to anybody and everybody I can to start getting information about the offense and do everything I can to be ready."

For more information regarding the Tarleton football team, check out TarletonSports.com.

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