UC Davis offensive lineman Elliot Vallejo, a physics major from Salinas, battles New Hampshire's E.J. DeWitt during the Aggies' tough 17-13 loss to the seventh-ranked Wildcats at Toomey Field Sept. 3. (Wayne Tilcock/UC Davis photo)
Engineered for success
(Reprinted from the Davis Enterprise, 8.23.2005)
UC Davis offensive tackle Elliot Vallejo loves football. But he has wanted to be an engineer longer than he could spell the word.
And when his coaches at UCLA tried to push him toward English or history - to make him choose between his sport and his studies - he walked away from the Bruins after one semester.
"When you're at a big (Division) I-A school that has a lot of pressure to win, football is your life, and that's not what I'm about," Vallejo said. "I always knew what I wanted to do, I just didn't know what it was called. As a kid I always played with Legos, erector sets, building things. And I'm willing to give up football, which I love very much."
UCD, he said, has allowed him to have both. He is a physics major at UCD, focusing on material sciences engineering. The 6-foot-8, 295-pound junior tackle is also one of the elder statesmen on a UCD line chock full of new faces and young players.
‘You need time to learn math, science, physics, you need time to absorb that material, which we didn't have at UCLA.’
UC Davis lineman and engineering major Elliot Vallejo
Challenged by a series of tough defenses
He and guard Kyle Skierski are the two returning starters on a line that will be challenged by a series of tough defenses. It's a line that will likely have one transfer and one freshman starting the opener on Sept. 3 against No. 7 New Hampshire.
"We are relying on Elliot and Kyle a lot," said UCD offensive coordinator Mike Moroski, who doubles as offensive line coach. "It's as hard a working group as I've had man-for-man. I think there's a lot of desire, but we've got our hands full."
Job one for the offensive line will be mounting a consistent running attack, which the team lacked for much of the 2004 season. The Aggies were held under 100 yards rushing in five of 10 games, a major culprit in its 1-4 finish after a 5-0 start.
Vallejo also struggled through the final five games of the season, playing with a torn ligament in his thumb.
Injury and surgery
He suffered the injury on second play of UCD's week five loss to Stephen F. Austin. He had surgery two weeks later and played the remainder of the season in a cast, which cost him some effectiveness against opposing defensive ends.
"He ended up having a very solid last year, played very well and we were very pleased," Moroski said. "He just seemed to be developing week-by-week until he hurt his thumb. He was essentially playing with less than two hands."
This spring he suffered a knee injury that initially looked like an ACL tear. It wasn't that serious although there was some damage that required some minor surgery. His mobility has been slightly limited in camp, but he's playing himself back into shape.
"He's on track and I'm not overly concerned about it," Moroski said. "He's a rock-solid component of what we're trying to do with a young offensive line."
A major I-A recruit
His experience in practice with Bruins certainly won't hurt. One of the top prospects coming out of Palma High School in Salinas, Vallejo was out of the Aggies' league the first time around. A major I-A recruit, he initially committed to Arizona before deciding instead to go to UCLA.
Once he got to Westwood, he found a high-pressure program with coaches he said chafed at his interest in engineering. They wanted his full attention, he said.
"They tried to compress our studies into very limited space," Vallejo said. "You need time to learn math, science, physics, you need time to absorb that material, which we didn't have at UCLA."
When he decided to leave the Bruins, he looked for a smaller school with a football program and an engineering department. He quickly whittled his list down to UCD and Cal Poly, deciding on the Aggies after a visit to campus.
A nice transition
"I felt at home with them," Vallejo said. "It was a nice transition."
Vallejo came to UCD in 2003, joining an offensive line that was just as big as the one he left. He played four games behind Brad Lekkerkerker that fall, and started all 10 games in 2004.
And for his part, Vallejo has accepted the role of mentor to the younger players. With freshmen and transfers next to him on the line, he's helping point his fellow linemen in the right direction.
"This offense is very complicated," Vallejo said. "There are a lot of things to learn. When I have an experienced guard next to me, it makes my job a little easier. (The younger players) are doing a great job.
They're picking up the offense like that. I'm very impressed with how it's going."