Former Texas A&M QB Nick Starkel living a dream at Dallas Cowboys rookie minicamp
Former Texas A&M and San Jose State quarterback Nick Starkel has eyes wide open and feet firmly planted on the ground heading to his tryout with the Dallas Cowboys at the rookie minicamp, which began Thursday and runs through Sunday.
But he doesn’t deny going into the proceedings wishing upon a star.
Starkel went to high school at Argyle Liberty Christian and became a Cowboys fan because of his relationship with former teammate Luke Laufenburg and former Cowboys quarterback Babe Laufenburg, who is the team’s radio color analyst.
“It’s a dream come true to go out there and put on that Cowboys helmet,” Starkel said. “I don’t know if it’s going to be a star on it. I hope there is. It will be sweet. That is all I can ask for right now. I am excited to go in there and compete and join this rookie class for minicamp and see what happens from there.”
Luke died of a rare form of leukemia two years ago but Starkel remains close to Babe. They talk three times a week. It would be surreal for all involved if Starkel were signed to a contract but him suiting up and being part of the process is special.
“He is a great kid,” Laufenburg said of Starkel. “And it’s pretty cool that he is coming to the Cowboys. I can’t see Nick and not think of Luke. We used to throw together. Seeing him out there is going to make me wish he was throwing to Luke. I am very excited for him and it’s pretty cool that he is going to be there.”
Starkel is one of two undrafted rookie quarterbacks who will participate in the rookie minicamp along with the nine draft picks.
The other is Terry Wilson, who began his career at Kentucky before finishing up at New Mexico.
The Cowboys have four quarterbacks on the roster in starter Dak Prescott and backups Cooper Rush, Will Grier and Ben DiNucci.
None are eligible to participate in rookie minicamp so the team needed some arms to get through practice.
Starkel knows the drill. He served as a tryout quarterback at the New York Jets minicamp last weekend.
“I thought I did great,” he said. “I threw the ball really well. At the end of the day they weren’t looking for a rookie quarterback. I understand that. It’s part of the game But any opportunity I get, I am going to take. That was part of that process. That was the first opportunity.”
The second chance comes with the Cowboys, and Starkel hopes he has an advantage because he participated in the Dallas-day workouts before the draft for prospects who played in college or went to high school in the area.
“I loved it,” Starkel said. “I was out there with guys I played against in high school and some guys I played with in middle school. I got to experience what it’s like. I’m confident from there moving into rookie minicamp that I can make the transition well.”
It’s the continuation of a well-traveled dream for Starkel, who went to Texas A&M as a member of the 2016 recruiting class. He opened his redshirt freshman season as the starter in 2017 but suffered an injury in the season opener.
A coaching change opened the door for Kellen Mond to be the starter in 2018. Starkel transferred to Arkansas for a season before finishing his last two seasons at San Jose State.
He knows there are no promises. The goal is to show enough in practice that the Cowboys sign him.
Either way, he is living a dream and making the most of his opportunity.
“I’ve got four days: Thursday through Sunday where I am a Cowboy and I am playing for more,” Starkel said. That is the attitude I have. My expectations are to go in there and work my tail off and show what I can do. Hopefully that lands me a spot for the next four days or whatever it may be.”
This story was originally published May 12, 2022 at 3:48 PM.
