It is a mindset that takes center stage for Jerad Romo, every morning that he opens his eyes to a new day in Texas and post-completion as the team captain and starting quarterback for Southern Methodist University.

His dreams have carried him to a prosperous football career playing for a Division IA program, but if you think even for a moment that Romo is ready to close the book on an already highlight-filled young life, you would be wrong.

With his SMU chapter nearly closed, Romo is ready to embark on another exiting chapter, looking forward to the real possibility of a professional football career, with many NFL teams showing interest early on in the former Tehachapi High School quarterback after finishing SMU with over 2,000 yards passing overall in two seasons.

“It’s probably a very slim chance of me getting drafted, but there are still a lot of exciting things going on around football particularly in the next couple of weeks that I’m looking forward to,” said Romo.

Most recently, Romo attended a five-hour pro-day in Texas that had team personnel and scouts from select NFL teams in attendance, with the notable list including Green Bay, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Houston, and Dallas. Some of the activities that were conducted at the look-see included a lineage of drills both physical and mental, including the vertical broad jump, the short shuttle, and the 40-yard dash. Along with personal interviews, the scouts didn’t leave any stone unturned with examining Romo, even taking time out to measure his hand size as part of the evaluation process.

“The pro-day was a good experience for me, and SMU was a big help in the preparation process,” added Romo. “I was able to talk with each of the teams, just let them get to know me, and give them some film on my time playing ball,” added Romo. “I think for me it was about them getting to know the person that I am both on and off the field, and I’m happy with the way things went.”

From what they saw at the pro-day, the Dallas Cowboys were particularly impressed with Romo, and have set up a personal workout meeting with the SMU gunslinger on April 14th, with the possibility of a free-agent contract in waiting or possible mid-to-late round draft consideration as the end-result.

“For me when I talk with interested teams it’s about being real and just being professional and courteous,” Romo said. “I want to make sure that I convey my goals and aspirations for both football and my personal life.”

In addition to the workout with the Cowboys, Romo also is a participant in the 12th Annual National All-Stars Bowl on April 15th, a prestigious honor given only to Division IA players that have the possibility of moving into professional football.

“Because the workout with Dallas and the All-Star game are almost right in-line with each other I might miss a practice with the all-star team, but I’m looking forward to both events and giving my best in both arenas,” added Romo.

In his playing time at Southern Methodist, Romo has no regrets, just lasting memories.

SMU was 0-12 the season before Romo arrived, and Jerad knew that he had his work cut out for him, but he never wavered on his commitment or where he wanted to see the football program to go.

“I remember when I came for a recruiting trip to SMU and going to their stadium…just looking around and thinking that it was a palace,” said Romo. “I knew that I wanted to go to Southern Methodist, not only for football but because of their strong academic program as well. One of the things that the coaches told me was that if that I was apart of turning the program around it could lead to promising opportunities after college.”

Certainly no one can argue at what Romo has been able to do in two years at SMU, with his junior campaign producing 48-85, 599 yards and four TDs, and this past season pulling out an impressive 155-282, 1,781 yards and 9 TDs. Along the way, Romo built on the 0-12 season, going 3-7 in his first year at SMU and just missing the .500 mark this past season, going 5-6 overall. 

He was also selected as the team’s offensive player of the year.

WARRIOR ALUM's - Jerad Romo took a timeout to pose with former Warrior teammate Chris Denman in the Fresno State / SMU matchup in 2004.

“I think even though we went 5-6 this past season, we still left a good legacy for the younger players,” Romo said. “We proved that we could beat anyone on our schedule on any given day.”

Some of the notable achievements for Romo and SMU last season were winning the two ‘traveling trophies’ between Rice and Texas Christian Universities, something that the Mustangs have not accomplished in over a decade. The win against Texas Christian was recognized nationally, with SMU handing TCU their only loss on the year in an 11-1 season and a final national ranking of #22.

Probably more memorable than those games though was last season’s match-up with Alabama-Birmingham, a game that Romo recalls very vividly.

“I think that that game was my most thrilling time in football,” Romo said. “With 23 seconds left to go and no timeouts I was able to get the ball up in the air and I just remember the crowd going crazy.”

The pass hit wide-receiver Bobby Chase for a 31-yard touchdown, with that score giving the Mustangs the game winning points and the final count of 28-27. It also snapped SMU’s 64-game road losing streak.

Away from football, Jerad has reaped the spoils of a very good academic standing at SMU, recording a 3.0 grade point average and utilizing his markets and culture degree on the business front, working two internships with international business firms while juggling an 18-hour school work load and a job in the school’s economics department.

“I think to say that I have a full schedule would be an understatement,” Romo added. “But I’m enjoying everything that I’m doing and it’s great to be able to stay busy and work hard.”

The hard work has been paying off, with Romo recently recognized by prestigious alumni at the school as one of the top five students at the University.

“Once a year the school puts on a program called ‘Dining with Decision Makers’, where famous SMU alumni come and get together and they honor five current students for academic performance,” Romo said. “It was encouraging, I was able to give a speech and I got a lot of positive feedback and I was able to network with a lot of the people there.”

During that speech, Romo recounted his roots, and his memories of his childhood spent in his Tehachapi hometown.

“I told them how important and rewarding growing up in Tehachapi was, and how great the people were there and how they helped me grow,” recalled Romo. “Especially in football, there are a lot of great memories for me playing as a Warrior.”

As much as Romo has seen and experienced in his journey, he hopes that other Tehachapi students can follow a similar path to promise when their time at Tehachapi High School is completed.

“Tehachapi sets a good foundation for your life, and I want to tell the students at Tehachapi to trust your teachers, and the athletes to trust your coaches,” said Romo. “Be proud of who you are and where you come from, and dream big."

THSWARRIORS.com Jerad Romo Article Archives:  Romo Signs with SMU / Denman and Romo