In their winter quarter and beyond, most Stanford seniors are consumed with planning for the future — printing out resumes, interviewing and awaiting grad school acceptances. The situation is no different for graduated senior Nick Sanchez — except that his interview process is on the field and in the weight room, pursuing his dream of playing professional football.

The 6 foot, 190-pound cornerback from swampy Belle Glade, Florida made plenty of headlines in a Cardinal uniform and is among 11 players from the 2007 team seeking a future in football.

While receivers Mark Bradford, Evan Moore and punter Jay Ottovegio are among Stanford’s brightest prospects, Sanchez fits the profile of a productive, hard-working college player who might have to spend time in another professional league before getting a shot at the NFL.

“I just want to keep playing as long as I can,” Sanchez says.

He has history on his side — recent Stanford defensive backs Oshiomogho Atogwe, Stanley Wilson, T.J. Rushing, Leigh Torrance, Brandon Harrison and David Lofton have all played professional football in the U.S. or Canada after leaving the Farm.

Non-NFL options include the Arena Football League, an indoor reduced-field form of football, and the Canadian Football League, which has long sent a portion of its players on to NFL success.

A wild-card option is the All American Football League, a proposed professional league requiring all its players to have college degrees. With six franchises, the AAFL has twice postponed the start of its inaugural season, now scheduled for 2009.

Not all players follow Sanchez’s path. Quiet but productive defensive captain Chris Horn, a defensive lineman, will hang up his cleats in favor of a career that better leverages his two engineering degrees from the University. He is one of seven players who have decided their Stanford experience will be their last on a football field. As for Sanchez, however, he has endured the necessary process in the previous months in the hopes of keeping his professional aspirations alive.

The Agent

Almost every player who has decided to go pro retains a sports agent, which Sanchez did after his senior season ended. An agent acts as a catch-all advocate for a player, marketing him to franchises as well as administrating contract details, finances and public relations. In return, the agent receives a commission, often a percentage of the client’s earnings.

Sanchez said the process of acquiring an agent is “like college recruiting.” Agents make contact with athletes and keep in close touch, attempting to woo players.

Agents will sometimes offer cash and valuables to athletes to entice them to sign. Accepting such extra benefits compromises a player’s amateur status and NCAA eligibility, and like other schools, Stanford warns players against it.

Sanchez says there’s no real formula or secret to picking the right agent — “you just go with the guy you feel most comfortable with.” Sanchez chose an agent based in Honolulu.

Staying in shape

In the winter, football strength and conditioning coach Shannon Turley led workouts for the squad’s hopeful pro players. Unlike the team’s winter conditioning sessions, the pro hopefuls’ workouts are specifically tailored to improve players’ Pro Day and NFL Combine performances — the numbers the NFL scouts will use to decide who to draft.

One unit shy of his degree, Sanchez filled the rest of his time with a communications course that put him over the top.

While Sanchez’s speed and strength numbers may not put him on top of teams’ draft boards, his heart and production are unquestionable. He entered the 2007 season as the team’s active leader in career tackles with 100, and ended his career with 153 stops and seven interceptions in 24 starts. Sanchez racked up several last-minute game-deciding plays in his Stanford career, including two of last season’s four victories — he collected two critical interceptions in the fourth quarter against California and forced a devastating fumble that all but sealed the comeback win at Arizona.

On Mar. 20, Sanchez participated in Pro Day at Stanford along with ten teammates. Players were evaluated indoors for vertical jump, broad jump and bench press. On the artificial turf field, the athletes were tested in a cone drill, the 20- and 60-yard shuttles and the ubiquitous 40-yard dash. In perhaps the quintessential measure of speed in football scouting, Sanchez clocked a 40 time of 4.56.

Also participating were three Stanford football alumni: linebacker Michael Craven, safety Trevor Hooper and multi-purpose player David Marrero. Craven is looking towards the NFL after a career in the Arena League, while Sanchez’s housemate Hooper hopes to make an NFL roster after being cut just before the 2007 season by the Buffalo Bills.

Marrero took advantage of a new NCAA rule allowing players who graduated in four years to transfer without penalty. Football players are normally required to sit out one season when transferring between Division I-A programs (The rule was repealed by the NCAA after one season). Marrero enrolled at San Jose State and spent the 2007 season playing for the Spartans, who were defeated by Stanford 37-0 on Sept. 15.

The zero hour

Sanchez’s final chance to impress will likely come April 18, when he participates in a local workout for the San Francisco 49ers. The workout is designed to give the Niners franchise an advantageous close look at any Bay Area players who may have been passed over by the general Combine and scouting services.

The NFL Draft takes place on April 26 and 27 in New York City. Free-agent contracts are typically signed by the next crop of players just after the Sunday session of the draft, followed by the AFL and CFL.

When football is done, Sanchez says he would like to stay involved in sports. That might include coaching football, but he demurs from the long hours worked by college coaches: “I don’t know if I want to live the coaching lifestyle.”

Sanchez has not secured a fallback job in the event he does not make the next level, preferring to give his full attention to football for now. Despite the odds, he is undaunted.

“I’m pretty confident I’ll get a shot somewhere.”