Connor Walendzak has committed to the University of Toledo.
The Perrysburg running back who last week decommitted from Purdue baseball has verbaled to UT football.
Go Rockets!???? #WeBall #RocketNation pic.twitter.com/ANfqxiSOOH
— Connor Walendzak (@ConnorWalendzak) June 26, 2022
“I totally felt a right fit with Toledo,” Walendzak said. “The coaching staff made it feel like home and they treated me well. Getting to visit campus and be around their football program for a little while, I knew that was the place I wanted to be. These past couple months I’ve been able to really think about it and continue to talk to the coaches at Toledo. Now felt like the right time.”
Walendzak, a 5-foot-11, 200-pound three-star running back, picked the Rockets over offers from Army and Navy. His elusive skills, physical running style, and elite athleticism have been a mainstay on Friday nights in northwest Ohio in recent years.
As a sophomore, Walendzak was named first-team All-Ohio after rushing for 1,364 yards and 19 touchdowns on 204 carries. Last season, he almost duplicated those numbers in eight games, recording 1,369 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on 202 carries, and he caught 15 passes for 213 yards.
Head coach Jason Candle, recruiting coordinator Ricky Ciccone, running backs coach Nate Cole, and co-offensive coordinator Robert Weiner were part of Walendzak’s recruitment. He’s the 10th member of the 2023 recruiting class.
Walendzak is no slouch on the diamond, becoming a two-time first-team All-Ohio athlete in multiple sports. In 2021, he hit .333 with four home runs, 32 runs scored, 28 runs batted in, and 13 stolen bases as an outfielder. He moved to shortstop last season, batting .410 with two home runs, 28 RBI, 34 runs, and 19 steals.
According to Walendzak, his baseball career will end at Perrysburg. He does not intend to play two sports and suit up for Rob Reinstettle’s up-and-coming baseball program.
“Football is my thing,” Walendzak said. “That’s what I want to do. No baseball.”
Walendzak owns a 4.28 grade-point average and intends to be an orthopedic surgeon. His maturity, leadership traits, and knowledge led him to become a natural candidate for service academies.
“It was a great honor to even be considered for those places because of how prestigious and how honored they are throughout the entire country and the way that they raise young men,” Walendzak said. “But I think the way that things have gone at Toledo, they’ve really made it feel like home. I feel very comfortable there and see myself doing very well there. But I’m very blessed to have the opportunity to say that Army and Navy looked at me as a human being.”
First Published June 27, 2022, 12:05 a.m.
