Quick Study

Unlike his soon-to-be UCLA teammate, Tustin running back DeShaun Foster, Blake Worley will never be asked to carry the ball. However, he might be very important to Foster in years to come.

Worley, one of the more touted offensive linemen to come out of Orange County in recent years, will be counted on to block for the Bruins. That’s something he has done--and done well--at Capistrano Valley High.

Worley will line up for his last prep football game today when California meets Texas in the Shrine All-Star game at Cerritos College.

At 6 foot 7 and 295 pounds, Worley is surprisingly quick. College recruiters say he has only scratched the surface of his talent.

Worley was selected to The Times Orange County first team in 1996 as a junior and was on several preseason high school All-America teams entering his senior season.

However, hip and ankle injuries forced him to miss five games last year. He still made The Times all-county second team.

Worley, 18, had considered attending USC. But the resignation of John Robinson as coach caused him take another look at UCLA.

He has spent part of the summer working out at UCLA, and studying the Bruins’ playbook.

“I really liked the players and coaches when I went on [my recruiting trip],” Worley said. “And they were graduating a left guard and right tackle. They told me I had a shot at starting, depending on how I performed.

“Their playbook is similar to Capo’s, except for the terminology. There are lot more plays and more going on in each play, but I felt I could pick things up.”

He is also looking forward to wiping away the unhappy memories of the Cougars’ subpar 1997 season. Capistrano Valley, a preseason top-10 choice, lost its last six games and finished last in the South Coast League.

Worley is one of four offensive tackles on the California All-Star team. Coach Ed Burke of Torrey Pines said the four players--Aaron Higginbotham from Yucaipa, Greg Schindler from Morgan Hills Live Oak, Elliot Zajac from Bakersfield and Worley--have worked so well together, he hasn’t decided who will start.

“They all excel at pass blocking, which is the toughest thing to teach and to learn,” Burke said. “I expect all of them eventually to be college starters.”

Worley, Foster and Laguna Hills tight end Saia Makakaufaki are among the 26 players who accepted football scholarships to UCLA. It is considered one of the best freshman classes in the country.

“The [high] expectations are accurate,” Worley said. “They got players from all over the nation. If we live up to our reputations, it definitely will be a great class.”

Capistrano Valley Coach Dave Brown expects Worley to fit in nicely.

“He is really a physical specimen, and his biggest asset is his feet,” Brown said. “He has tremendously quick feet and is really athletic.”

Worley started on the Capistrano Valley varsity his sophomore year.

“That’s rare here,” line coach Patrick Santistevan said. “He was the first [sophomore starter] I could remember since Bruce Boatman in the late 1970s.”

Given the nickname “Pup” by the Cougars’ senior linemen, Worley evolved from a big, gawky kid into a dominant tackle.

“I know Blake possesses all the talents to be a successful college player, but with hard work he can play [professionally],” Santistevan said. “I come back to those very agile feet, which you don’t see in linemen as big as Blake.”

After watching him during two weeks of practice, Burke concurred.

“No question his quick feet give him an advantage in the passing game,” Burke said. “He gets out of his stance and into his blocking area as well as anyone I have seen here.”

Today, Worley could line up against Texas defensive lineman Stanley Morgan, 6-4 and 295. They will be teammates at UCLA.

“It will be good competition,” said Worley, who worked out with Morgan in Westwood. “He’s not only big, he’s pretty agile. I won’t build up any hate for him, but let’s hope he doesn’t have a great game.”

Afterward, Worley can focus his energies into making UCLA’s starting lineup.

“Those three weeks I worked out there showed me I need to work on strength training, stamina and speed,” he said. “I feel I can give it a shot, but it won’t kill me not to start. It’ll just show me someone is better than me, and I need to work harder.”