Cal Football: Will Zach Angelillo's Switch to Fullback Make Him a Star?

Zach Angelillo had spent two years on the Cal football team as an inside linebacker and had nothing to show for it -- no playing time, no contributions, no great signficance to the team.

Sure, he had been admirable scout-team performer, but he wanted to get on the field on game day.

He did something about it.

"Essentially how it worked was, I had kind of been thinking about it for a while," he said. "Some of the other coaches had touched on it, I had wasn't seeing the field. Just wanted to help the team and put myself in position to contribute.

"The first week we were back in January, I went into [inside linebackers] coach [Peter] Sirmon's office, and told him, 'Hey, coach, I really want to feel I can contribute and help us win football games. How can I do that?' And I asked, 'What do you think about me playing fullback?'"

Apparently coaches had already discussed the possibility of that switch. So the change from defense to offense was made.

"I'm really grateful that they gave me this opportunity," he said, "and I'm going to try to run with it and do everything I can."

As it turns out he has fallen into a great situation. Bill Musgrave was hired as the Bears' new offensive coordinator at about the same time Angelillo went into Sirmon's office to request a change in position. And wouldn't you know it, Musgrave is adding the use of a fullback to Cal's offensive scheme. Musgrave said that Angelillo is showing signs of being productive at that spot. Angelillo is still a novice at the new position, but the fact that he is an athletic, 6-foot-2, 220-pounder with a linebacker's mentality makes him perfect for the part.

The model for fullbacks these days is San Franciso 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk, a four-time Pro Bowl selection and a graduate of Harvard. He was a key component of the 49ers' potent running game this past season and helped them get to the Super Bowl.

No one is suggesting Angelillo is another Juszczyk, but he may be the type of player who can provide the extra physical component in the backfield the Bears need.

New running backs coach Aristotle Thompson joked that he is glad Angelillo switched to "the good side of life," i.e., the offense, but it may ulitmately be the good side of life for both Angelillo and the Cal offense.