Udeze’s Weight Was Worth It

Kenechi Udeze pictured all of it -- the body, the recognition and the rewards -- and put it down on paper early in his first year at USC.

During a lull in a study-hall session in 2000, the then-flabby and 300-plus-pound Udeze grabbed a pencil, looked into the future and drew an elaborate comic book-style self-portrait.

Sculpted muscles rippled on a bare-chested, Hulk-like figure. Outlandish statistics and a quote from television analyst John Madden proclaiming Udeze as “the next sure thing” flanked the image.

Udeze tacked the illustration on his dorm room wall for inspiration.

“I’ve always been a big dreamer,” he said.

When the 21-year-old Udeze looks in the mirror these days -- and he jokingly acknowledges that he seldom passes up an opportunity to do so -- the picture and accomplishments proved no exaggeration.

The 6-foot-4, 280-pound All-American with the Mr. Olympia physique could be the first defensive lineman chosen in Saturday’s NFL draft, possibly among the top 10 picks.

Last week, Udeze nearly concluded more than three months of preparation for the draft by going on the road to meet with coaches and team executives for Jacksonville, Detroit, Washington, Minnesota and Tampa Bay.

“I’m amazed how much really goes into this,” he said by phone during a layover at the airport in Detroit. “I can understand where they’re coming from because they’re going to be putting out millions of dollars. They want to make sure they get it right.”

Udeze has no doubts that he made the correct decision when he opted to pass up his final year of eligibility at USC to make himself available for the draft.

Last season, Udeze tied for the national lead with 16 1/2 sacks and helped the Trojans win a share of their first national title in 25 years. He also became the first USC defensive lineman to earn All-America honors since Tim Ryan in 1988 and 1989.

Darrell Russell, selected by the Raiders with the second pick in the 1997 draft, is the only other Trojan defensive lineman to leave school early for the pros. The Trojans have not had a defensive lineman selected in the first round since.

“The time was right for me to leave,” said Udeze, who will watch the draft with family and friends at a club in Westwood. “This is my opportunity.”

Udeze, the youngest of four siblings, transformed himself into a premium NFL prospect by shedding nearly 100 pounds since high school.

Udeze said he weighed as much as 370 pounds at Los Angeles Verbum Dei High. After his senior season, Trojan defensive line coach Ed Orgeron told Udeze a scholarship was waiting if he lost a substantial amount of weight.

Udeze immediately improved his nutrition, started running and stopped eating late at night.

“There was a big change,” said Udeze’s mother, Arie, a veteran elementary school teacher in Los Angeles. “Food was in the refrigerator -- not in his mouth.”

Udeze signed with the Trojans and dropped more weight while redshirting his freshman season.

In 2001, he moved from tackle to defensive end during training camp and started 10 games. The next season, he started every game and recorded 7 1/2 sacks as the Trojans earned their first appearance in a bowl championship series game and defeated Iowa in the Orange Bowl.

Last year, Udeze overwhelmed opponents as a junior and was named the Pacific 10 Conference’s defensive player of the year. He had three sacks in USC’s 28-14 victory over Michigan in the Rose Bowl that earned the Trojans a share of their ninth national championship.

Orgeron, who coached eight All-Americans at Miami from 1989 to ‘92, compared Udeze’s transformation to those experienced by former Hurricane defensive linemen Russell Maryland and Cortez Kennedy.

“They’re all big guys that lost the weight and made themselves into players,” Orgeron said. “Kenechi is by far the best defensive end I’ve ever coached.”

Udeze improved his stock at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis in February. He also performed well during workouts at USC’s pro day last month.

“I pretty much solidified my position as far as being the best end in the draft,” he said.

Time will tell.

Draft-day maneuvering annually spoils the hopes of a few players, costing some millions of dollars. When teams begin making their picks Saturday, “I think I’m going to be sweating bullets,” Udeze admitted.

Udeze promised his mother that he would eventually complete the remaining semester of work necessary to earn a degree in sociology from USC.

Arie is holding him to it.

She said her son’s name, Kenechi, means “Thanks be to God,” in the Ibo language from Nigeria.

Udeze said he was thankful for the opportunity to have attended USC, to have played for the Trojans and to begin his pro career with a potential windfall.

“A lot of guys take it the wrong way, like ‘This is supposed to happen ... ‘ “ he said. “I’m blessed to be in the situation.”

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Kenechi Udeze File

Defensive end; 6-4, 280 pounds

*--* CAREER STATISTICS Year G Tackles Tackles-Loss Sacks-Yards FF FR 2001 12 35 9-43 4-25 3 1 2002 13 44 16-65 7.5-45 6 1 2003 13 56 26-137 16.5-115 5 1 Total 38 135 51-245 28-185 14 3 Key: G -- games; FF -- Forced fumbles; FR -- Fumbles recovered.

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At the NFL Combine: Ran a 4.77 in the 40-yard dash; Bench pressed 430 pounds; Vertical jump of 33 inches.