Opposing Sideline: Tyler Linderbaum Center of Attention on Iowa's Offensive Line
Editor's Note: This is the second installment of our reports on the No. 18-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes, who are Indiana's opponent in the season opener on Saturday.
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Kirk Ferentz is a baseball fan. So when asked at Big Ten football media days in July how important center Tyler Linderbaum was to the Hawkeyes, Ferentz referred to a familiar saying in his other favorite sport.
“It's like baseball, it's really helpful to be strong up the middle,” Ferentz said, smiling.
Linderbaum is one of the nation’s best at his position. He was a preseason All-American by the Associated Press, and he is coming off a 2020 season in which he was one of three finalists for the Rimington Trophy, given to the top center in college football.
Linderbaum has started all 21 games for the Hawkeyes over the last two seasons at center, but the transition from coming to Iowa as a defensive lineman was a little rocky at first.
Linderbaum played in two games in 2018 as a true freshman on the defensive line, and he admitted that the video review of his performance was not something he wanted to do again.
“I was all over the place,” he said.
So, during the Hawkeyes’ preparation for the Outback Bowl that season, Linderbaum was moved to center.
That, too, was a challenge.
“Definitely uncomfortable,” Linderbaum said. “It was definitely tough. I played center in high school, but the speed of the defensive linemen, and the freakish athletes you go against, is something you need to get used to. You need the repetitions.”
He is comfortable now, and that adjustment has impressed Ferentz.
“It's a critical position, I think, for most teams and certainly with our philosophy, we really believe you want somebody in there who really is capable of doing a lot of things besides blocking well,” Ferentz said. “I don't know if it gets any better than Tyler.”
Iowa traditionally produces a quality offensive line, and Linderbaum has thrived with the education.
Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum gets some instruction during a recent Hawkeyes practice. (USA TODAY Sports)
Linderbaum quickly learned how to adapt to the position in a program that has traditionally featured one of the best offensive lines in college football.
“I think just the way we practice, the way we focus on fundamentals, how much time we put into our drill work, really helped me push along in the development of playing center,” Linderbaum said.
“There’s a lot that goes into the position. Once you get the hang of it, once you get used to it, it’s good.”
Linderbaum was a four-sport athlete — football, baseball, wrestling and track and field — at Solon High School, which is 15 miles from the Iowa campus. He was a first-team all-state selection as an offensive lineman in his junior and senior seasons.
“He's just a tremendous young person, first and foremost,” Ferentz said. “We were so excited about recruiting him and fortunately for us he was 15 miles up the road and had a connection that way, but (four)-sport athlete, tremendous student, just has a lot of pride in everything he does and it shows in the way he practices. But then beyond that, (there is) the impact he has on his teammates, especially his linemates, and so we feel so fortunate that he's our center right now. He's a great team leader.”
“He’s just so good at the position,” quarterback Spencer Petras said.
It’s been an education, Linderbaum said.
“I think there’s a lot of things still to work on,” he said. “The consistency has gotten better. Just on every snap, being consistently better from where I was when it first started. My teammates, my coaches, they’ve all pushed me to get better.
“I’m not even close to what I can do. It’s a good mentality to have.”
Related stories on Saturday's Indiana-Iowa game
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- POWER RANKINGS (Week 1): Publisher Tom Brew posts his weekly power rankings, with four-time defending champion Ohio State and the top and plenty to argue about afterward. And a new cellar-dweller after Nebraska's embarrassing performance in Week 0. CLICK HERE
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- ALLEN, COORDINATORS READY FOR NEXT STEP: Back-to-back successful seasons has Indiana thinking big in 2021, and Hoosiers coach Tom Allen continues to trust the process as the program grows into a title contender. CLICK HERE
- THOMAS ALLEN FINISHING IN STYLE: Indiana linebacker Thomas Allen suffered a serious hip injury last fall and had to decide if it was worth months of rehab to play one more season. He's coming back for the 2021 season because he wants to end his career on a high note. CLICK HERE
