Barandica Poised To Make His NFL Debut

The 2012 NFL Draft doesn’t start until tomorrow but a representative from Kean has already been picked to show off his moves for one of the league’s teams.

Kean junior Steven Barandica was notified recently via the Professional Football Training Association that the Washington Redskins have selected him to intern this summer for the team. Barandica, an athletic training major who has served as a student trainer for the Kean women’s lacrosse team, said he’s elated with the news.

“I’m super excited,’’ said Barandica, a Linden native. “Among my duties will be pre-practice set up, assessment of injuries and rehab of injuries. I will be supervised by a certified athletic trainer, like I am here at Kean, but this is like getting a chance to work in a professional setting.’’

Barandica landed the summer gig, which starts in July and continues on for six weeks through the team’s pre-season, by applying for a scholarship sponsored by the Professional Football Training Association. He’s still awaiting word on whether he’ll receive the $2,500 scholarship. Meanwhile, the association forwarded his resumé to several teams and the Redskins sought him out for an internship.

It’s been a good week for Barandica. Today, he presented his research case study about abductor avulsion fractures during Kean’s Research Days event.  His case study was reviewed and praised by both the Athletic Trainers Society of New Jersey and the Eastern Athletic Training Association. A student representative on the Kean Board of Trustees, Barandica maintains a 3.9 grade point average.

Barandica said he isn’t apprehensive about the thought of working with high powered athletes.

“I’m open about it,’’ he said. “I know I’ll be dealing with players who are getting paid good money but I feel pretty confident about my skills so far. I feel happy about using the skills I’ve acquired.’’

He said the experience will be a good barometer to determine whether he wants to work on the professional, college or high school setting during his career.

“It’s an opportunity that a lot of athletic training students may not have,’’ he said. “I’m going to give it my all.’’

He added that the experience will look impressive on his resumé.

“Having spent time being an athletic trainer for a professional team may set me apart,’’ he said.

When asked if he’s a Redskins fan, Barandica said he’s mostly rooted for the New York Giants.

“Once I get there, I might start rooting for them (the Redskins) a bit but to be honest I’m a soccer guy,’’ Barandica said. “ However, I’m not into this because of what team I like. I’m in it for the health of the athletes.’’