Fulfilling Potential

Craig Walendy looks fit enough to pose for an Army recruiting poster.

At 6 feet 1, 243 pounds, with huge biceps and 4.6-second speed in the 40-yard dash, Walendy serves as a human battering ram, charging out of UCLA’s backfield on search-and-pummel missions.

Walendy is the Bruins’ starting fullback, which means on most plays, his responsibility is simple.

“Block, block, block,” he said.

From the first play, Walendy seeks to send a message.

“It’s your own personal war,” he said. “I have three or four different guys I need to take care of. Right off the bat, I try to knock him on his back.”

His main responsibility marks a major change from his days as a star running back at Westlake High, where he was co-Marmonte League offensive player of the year in 1994, when he rushed for 638 yards and scored 11 touchdowns.

Life as a fullback in UCLA’s multiple-set offense requires Walendy to become as anonymous as an offensive lineman. He caught eight passes last season and rushed only six times.

“I really don’t care [about running the ball],” Walendy said. “A couple years ago, yeah, I wanted the ball. I felt I was qualified. Now I look back, I didn’t have a pedestal to stand on to talk like that. I hadn’t done anything. The thing is, you can’t expect something your position doesn’t call for.”

In UCLA’s scheme, the fullback mainly clears the way for the tailback to run the ball or provides protection for the quarterback.

Walendy has bulked up considerably from his 215-pound playing weight in high school.

“I definitely feel heavier, but I can still perform the same way I did when I was 220,” he said. “It [more weight] makes it easier to block. When you’re a lighter guy, you have to rely on muscle and get angles on a guy. When you’re heavier, you still keep the same aggression and same intensity, but you have more weight to throw people around.”

Entering his senior season, Walendy said he has never been in better shape.

“Pretty much every aspect of my game has improved,” he said.

He has matured physically and in his approach to life off the field.

After struggling in his studies, he made the honor roll last quarter.

“I just think you start realizing you’re not a high school kid anymore,” he said. “You have a life to take care of. You realize everything is not as easy as you are hoping it to be.

“You realize all of a sudden it’s not going to be handed to you like it was in high school. You have to work for your position here. You have to work for your grades here. It’s a challenge.”

Paula Walendy, Craig’s mother, looks back and marvels how her son has progressed. She remembers a young boy who was constantly sick during his first three years, and whose foot was twisted at birth.

“You can’t even imagine,” she said. “When he runs, it’s a real blessing. The thought of him being an athlete was the farthest thought from my mind. It’s been real special. We were just hoping for a kid who would be healthy.

“When I saw him run for the first time at the Rose Bowl [three years ago], I was crying. My husband was looking at me like I had lost my mind.”

Walendy wasn’t recognized as one of UCLA’s top high school recruits three years ago, but he played as a freshman and has withstood challenges from more heavily recruited players such as Cheyane Caldwell and Durell Price, the former Sylmar High standout, to earn a starting position.

“Everyone was as good as you were in high school,” he said. “You’re no different than the class that came before you or the class before that. Everybody was all-world. What matters is putting in extra time and who’s dedicated.”

Walendy believes his athletic ability, blocking technique and versatility will allow him to make the jump to the NFL.

“I definitely feel I can contribute somewhere,” he said.

Now, if only he can convince his girlfriend that gaining more weight is good.

“My girlfriend doesn’t like it,” Walendy said. “She always says, ‘Well, when you’re done with football, I want you to look like a surfer body.’ If it were up to her, I’d probably weigh 180 pounds.”

Walendy’s mother observed: “Right now, if he surfed, he’d sink like a rock.”

For now, Walendy is as solid as a rock, making him everyone’s dream fullback.

Eric Sondheimer’s local column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422.