By Keith Hagarty

Radford University

Despite his name not being called at last weekend’s 2010 National Football League Draft in New York’s Radio City Music Hall, Radford University student Nick Schrank, 22, isn’t one to give up. Like thousands of prospects looking for a shot to play in the NFL, Schrank lives in the gym and practice field. However, unlike many of his peers showcased on college football teams, Schrank is combining his athletic talent and endless drive with an explosive social media campaign and self-marketing blitz.

After nearly being blinded in one eye from a teenage paintball accident, the sparkplug 6’2”, 210 lb. linebacker, blessed with talent which earned him the East Coast MVP award in Miami last November at the semi-professional North America Football League’s All Star Game, is no stranger to adversity.

Adopting the motto of “Comfortable in the Uncomfortable” Schrank refuses to be pigeonholed or lost in the vast sea of NFL hopefuls.

“Comfortable in the Uncomfortable.”

NFL Prospect Attempts to Score with Social Media Blitz

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Instead, Schrank, of Fauquier County, Virginia, put fate on his shoulders, using the explosive growth of the Internet’s emerging social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.) to launch a tactical, never-say-die game plan targeting the NFL. His Web site www.NickSchrank.com is a vibrant multimedia playground chronicling his ongoing journey, including his specialized Fre Flo Do workout training sessions, highlight game footage, daily blogs, photos, videos and much more.

Rubbing elbows with NFL greats, such as former Tennessee Titans’ legend Eddie George and Reggie Bush, of the world champion New Orleans Saints, helped fuel Schrank’s NFL hunger. His cyber marketing showcase has caught the attention of Web-surfers by the thousands and media outlets throughout the region and state, including a recent on-campus profile of Schrank broadcast Tuesday, April 20 on the Roanoke-based WDBJ7 News.

Schrank is the perfect example of how new media technology and cutting-edge marketing strategies are sweeping in a new wave of communication resonating across

all fields and industries, including sports, said Christopher Finley, former president of the Blue Ridge Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, and one of Schrank’s former professors.

“Social media isn’t a fad, it truly is a fundamental shift in the way we communicate, creating powerful new ways to correspond and share information,” said Finley. “Social media has revolutionized the industry.”

Schrank lives and breathes his goals, both on and off the field, showing how a powerful combination of perseverance and commitment can help achieve anything. Just don’t say Schrank “dreams” to be in the NFL. Dreams aren’t reality for Schrank, just pie in the sky fantasies.

“It leaves a bitter taste in my mouth because I don’t believe it to be a dream,” he said of his NFL aspirations. “It’s not a dream; it’s a tangible object I see before me.”

“Social Media isn’t a fad, it truly is a fundamental shift in the way we communicate…”

-Christopher Finley Radford Univ.

“…It’s not a dream; it’s a tangible object I see before me.”