Catching Up With: Jared Flint

Steve Virgen

As the NFL Draft nears, team executives and coaches are more alert

than ever. They are hoping to find the next Tom Brady, Kurt Warner or

Jeff Garcia. Jared Flint, a former Orange Coast College standout

quarterback, has renewed his hope and he believes he has a chance to be a

diamond in the rough ... if a team takes a chance on him.

After his playing days at the University of Hawaii were cut short

because of a torn rotator cuff, Flint has become a longshot to land on an

NFL team. But he’s gambling.

“I feel pretty lucky that I threw only 25 passes and I’m getting a

shot at the NFL,” Flint said. “Someone might have a great, grand plan for

me. My greatest goal is to put my foot in the door. I have some great

guys on my side. I have confidence. If I can get my foot in the door and

sneak my way on the team, I have the confidence that I can do some good

things.”

Flint, a former star athlete at Irvine High, served as the backup to

Nick Rolovich in the fall. Rolovich, who went 8-1 as the starter, after

sophomore Timmy Chang, the Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the

Year, broke his wrist, has been improving his draft status at the recent

NFL combine in Santa Monica. However, Rolovich is still expected to be a

late-round choice.

So, Flint, who also benefited from the tutelage of

quarterback-friendly and offensive-minded Coach June Jones, does not

expect to be drafted April 20-21. But Flint is expecting to make a team

as an undrafted rookie free agent. Already, he’s had two workouts with

the Houston Texans, and he remains confident that he will be employed by

the NFL in the near future.

“(The Texans) liked what they saw,” said Flint, who is No. 1 on OCC’s

total offense list, with 3,716 yards for his two-year career, 1998-99.

“They wanted to see some improvement and times from the last time they

saw me two months ago. Mostly, I had been working to improve and there

was more room for improvement. I’ve been working to at least get an

invite to the camp.”

Flint, who came home for spring break last week, said he will earn a

bachelor of arts degree in history at the end of this semester. And, he

needs two more semesters to earn a second degree with his major in film.

“It’s awesome living there,” Flint said of Hawaii. “It’s different. I

think it had a different perspective from Orange County. You’re in the

minority. But, going to Hawaii is one of the best things that’s happened

to me. The people are great. I made great friends and met my girlfriend

(Jennifer Tanderich) out there. I want to maybe live out there in the

future.”

After putting up big-time numbers at OCC, including 4,003 passing

yards and 25 touchdowns, which is the OCC record, Flint left for Hawaii.

He said there is a possibility he began to wear and tear his rotator cuff

during his last season at Coast. He entered Hawaii as the No. 1

quarterback in 2000, but an MRI revealed the torn rotator cuff and the

freshman Chang stepped in.

For Flint, recovering from the injury presented unfamiliar challenges,

challenges he has been able to overcome, but, not until the 2001 football

season ended. And, Flint could not do anything to improve his draft

status.

“It had bothered me from day one since I got there,” Flint said of his

injury. “It was the worst possible timing ever. It was hard to sit there

and watch that year (2001). It was hard because we went 3-9 and I

couldn’t do anything about it. I had two good years at OCC and not being

able to capitalize on it, that was really hard to deal with.”

However, Flint made the best out of a bad decision. Flint said he

could have taken a medical redshirt year, but because the Warriors had

already lost Chang, Flint played through 2001. In addition, while

maintaining a positive attitude about his rehabilitation, Flint developed

a balanced relationship with Coach Jones.

“It really helps to have June Jones with his history in the league,”

Flint said. “He’s known for his work with quarterbacks. He really wasn’t

surprised at all when my NFL opportunity came along. He knew I could put

up big numbers in arena football. He has confidence in my ability. He’s

been to the NFL and he knows what it takes. People believe him when he

talks. It’s good to have him saying good things about me.”

Flint, who has been using his OCC highlights as the majority of his

game tape for NFL teams, seems to be starting over in regard to his quest

to land on an NFL team. There appears to be plenty of options and

opportunities, but in reality, Flint is clueless when trying to determine

the ultimate results.

“It’s kind of when you enter the college recruiting process, you have

no idea,” Flint said. “But, now my confidence is skyrocketing. My

shoulder is coming back stronger than it was before the surgery. I gained

confidence because I had good workouts with arena (football) teams. I

figure I would shoot for the NFL and if that doesn’t work out I should go

to other avenues. We’ll see what happens.”