After tough finish to senior campaign, Summers preparing for what’s next

By Ryan Greene

Friday, Jan. 16, 2009 | 2:10 a.m.

The UNLV football program was no stranger to knee injuries during the up-and-down 2008 season.

Frank Summers' bite from the bug just happened to come at a less convenient time than anyone else's, both from a personal and team angle.

The senior running back went down on the third play of the season finale -- a 42-21 loss at San Diego State on Nov. 22.

Actually, the sprain to the MCL in his left knee occurred following that play. The injury also consisted of a slight tear to the ligament.

"I got tackled, was going to get up and somebody got pushed onto the pile," he recalled. "I heard a pop, but it wasn't any instant pain.

"Once I got hurt, I tried to push it and it just kind of locked up on me and it kept slipping out. I knew that was it, that was my career there. It was real hard to swallow after the game."

Summers was forced to watch his team's potential bowl bid slip away on that cool, crisp Southern California night with a chunky brace wrapped on his left leg.

His final stat line of two carries for six yards fell on the opposite end of the spectrum from where he expected to wind up coming into that game.

The Aztecs, at the time, ranked dead last in the FBS ranks in run defense, allowing 267 yards per game. A year earlier, Summers ran wild against SDSU, to the tune of 187 yards on 26 totes.

As a team, UNLV finished the night this time with 33 yards on 23 attempts.

"It was real hurtful," Summers said. "Not only personally, but team-wise. I felt that I had a big part to play in that game, and it was just cut so short. Obviously, playing that game to become bowl eligible, we all had high expectations to come out of that game.

"Even now, I've sat here and watched a lot of these bowl games go on for the last three weeks. When I saw Colorado State playing against Fresno State (in the New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 20), it was real upsetting. There's a team that beat us in the last minute of the game, just like Air Force."

Losing Summers wasn't the only factor that led to UNLV's demise at Qualcomm Stadium. And to run through all of the others at this point would simply be rehash.

Summers knew that, and decided to spin things forward.

Which brings the story to today, with the 5-foot-10, 230-pound bull of a running back having relocated to Sarasota, Fla. There, he works from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. During that window, it's nothing but training, training and a bit more training.

It's all in preparation for April's NFL Draft, or whatever other opportunities lie out there for him in professional football.

Summers is three classes shy of earning his UNLV degree, but has his scholarship on hold so he can come back and wrap up his education whenever his future allows it.

He took four weeks off after the season to let his knee heal up, and as of last week, he said its condition is up above 90 percent.

He's been in Florida for a month now, working on a slew of areas just to draw any notice possible.

"We're working on his straight-ahead speed, also lateral speed and agility," said Rich Lansky, who is the owner and president of the Optimum Performance Training Institution. "His ability to not only accelerate, but also change direction. He's a tank, but we'd like to see him maneuver at the same time."

Olympic-style weight lifting is also part of Summers' regimen, as he's developing his overall explosiveness.

Lansky's clients have routinely drawn invites to NFL camps if undrafted. He's also built a nice list of success stories, including safety Todd Johnson and cornerback Antwaun Molden.

Johnson, a 2003 fourth-round selection out of Florida by the Chicago Bears, just completed his sixth NFL season, having spent the past two with St. Louis. Molden burst onto the scene at the NFL Combine a year ago, and the Eastern Kentucky product ended up as a third-round pick of the Houston Texans. He registered 20 tackles in 14 games this season.

In Summers' case, he ideally would love to remain a tailback at the next level. But that's not set in stone.

As a junior, following his transfer from Laney College, he established himself as a dependable performer, racking up 1,180 total yards of offense and finding the end zone 10 times. This season, as more playmakers rose up around him, his role decreased slightly. He had 19 fewer carries, totaled 990 yards of offense and scored 10 total touchdowns. Still, he was dependable and proved to be as good a leader as the Rebels had.

However, with his identity not as defined in Mike Sanford's offense in 2008, he found other outlets to release some fury. Most notably, he offered himself up to play special teams on kick coverage. It's an area where he'd already made a name for himself by becoming a YouTube sensation while in high school back in Oakland.

"I've been telling the scouts and the coaches that I'm a football player," he said. "I can play running back, fullback, special teams. You put me on the field and I'll make plays."

Telling prospective NFL employers of his ability and willingness is one thing, but now Summers plans on displaying himself in front of them as much as possible over the coming months.

First up will be the Texas vs. The Nation all-star game in El Paso, Texas, on Jan. 31. Then comes a potential invite to the NFL Combine, which runs from Feb. 18-24 in Indianapolis. Also on tap is UNLV's annual pro day, held at Rebel Park in early March.

His outlook, despite a senior season that was tough to swallow, would also have to appeal to several pro teams, NFL or elsewhere.

"I've got a positive attitude," Summers said. "I've never pointed a finger at anyone. If I ever did point a finger at anyone, it was myself. I believe that when it gets rough, I'm a person they can load up my back and I'll carry the team or a couple poeple that need my help."