Iowa’s Tyler Linderbaum goes from multi-sport Solon Spartan to all-american Hawkeye center

ORLANDO, Florida (KCRG) - “He’s really tearing it up at Iowa, he kind of came onto the national scene and everyone in Solon is like ‘oh that makes sense.’”

The town of Solon Iowa knew the potential of Tyler Linderbaum, perhaps no one more than Zach Wegmann, his high school teammate and current Upper Iowa defensive lineman. Wegmann competed in just about every sport with Linderbaum from a young age.

Back at Solon High School, Linderbaum could do it all, including basketball, wrestling, track and field, baseball and of course football.

“Being competitive and doing all those things have definitely helped me along the way,” Linderbaum said. anything that’s competitive I’m always trying to win.”

Thanks to all his participation and success in other sports, Linderbaum was an athlete Solon would always remember.

But he made his biggest mark in the fall.

“He was on a different level for sure,” Wegmann said.

“If there’s something that he really exudes it’s that fierce competitiveness,” said his high school coach Kevin Miller. “Just a refusal to lose.”

Linderbaum was one of the better linemen (defensive and offensive) in the country. He got interest from schools across the nation, but his home was always Iowa City.

“Both my parents were season ticket holders so we had opportunities to go down and catch ball games at a young age,” Todd Linderbaum, Tyler’s father, said. “If he enjoyed football and got really good at it, he could see himself wearing the black and gold. Years down the road you kind of pinch yourself and say ‘hey it actually happened!’”

Linderbaum started his Hawkeye career as a defensive lineman. He excelled at nose tackle in high school but Kirk Ferentz moved him to center, where he’s since become one of the best offensive lineman in the country.

Linderbaum was an honorable mention all-conference honoree in 2019. In 2020 he improved to all-america status.

By midway through the 2021 season, Linderbaum was projected to be drafted in the first round of the NFL draft.

But as impactful as he is on the field, Linderbaum’s doing just as much off the field. He’s sold clothing to raise money for the Stead Family Children’s hospital. Earlier this month he presented them a with a check for 30,000 dollars.

“To raise that amount of money, just means we have the best fans,” Linderbaum said. “People understand it’s for a good cause, and I think it was. Without the people donating and buying the shirts it wouldn’t be possible.”

“It make sense Tyler’s that kind of guy, he’s such a great person comes from a great family, he’s got a great upbringing, it’s incredible to see,” said Wegmann.

“it’s not the big games or the big plays that I remember most, with Tyler, it’s the early practices or weight sessions that we kind of suffered through” Wegmann added. “You (would) look over at Tyler and he’s always got a smile on his face, ready to go.”

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