By Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

SOLON – Making it through a four-sport school year is a tall task for a high school athlete.

At the least, four sports in 11 months will keep an athlete busy. At the most that type of schedule can wear a high schooler out.

For Tyler Linderbaum participating in four sports isn’t enough.

Teammates insist the Solon senior is always looking for ways to compete and more importantly, to win.

“He’s the most competitive guy I’ve ever met,” Solon senior running back Kendrick Harris said of Linderbaum. “Video games, pickup basketball games he always wants to do something where he can win and no matter what he does he expects to win.”

His competitive nature combined with remarkable athleticism and impressive size have been a potent combination for Linderbaum.

A state medalist in both track and wrestling and an all-conference third baseman on the baseball diamond the 6-foot-2, 270-pound Linderbaum is at his athletic best on the football field.

A first-team all-state pick and Iowa commit, Linderbaum has already established himself as one of the top lineman in the state and one of the best to ever play the position at Solon.

“He’s a special player,” Solon coach Kevin Miller said. “He has exceptional feet for a kid that size, he plays with great leverage and knows how to use his hands. He is just an outstanding athlete and a great humble kid that wants to win and wants to work.”

An unquenchable competitive streak is what turned Linderbaum into a four-sport athlete.

Growing up, the desire to compete turned whatever sport was in season into the favorite for Linderbaum.

“I’m a competitor so I like competing in anything,” Linderbaum said. “I enjoy all the sports, whatever season it is, whatever sport that comes up I’m excited for it.”

The competitive fire only grew when he got to high school.

A varsity letterwinner in football, wrestling, track and baseball each of the past two school years as the seasons change Linderbaum transitions seamlessly from sport to sport.

“He is just a natural athlete and he’s a competitor,” Solon senior defensive end Zach Wegmann said. “It doesn’t matter if we are over playing video games at his house or playing whiffle ball he is trying to win at whatever he does. He’s a natural competitor and he brings that to everything he does.”

Linderbaum started his high school career as a basketball player before taking up wrestling as a sophomore.

Two years after trying wrestling for the first time he went 53-10 and placed fifth at the 2A state tournament last February.

The ability for Linderbaum to excel in everything he picks up isn’t a surprise to coaches or teammates.

“Tyler is an athlete, he could be a starter on the basketball team right now,” Harris said. “There is nothing he’s not good at it.” 

Linderbaum always had a hard time picking a sport as a kid but after his sophomore football season he knew his future was on the gridiron.

He made 27.5 tackles and had four sacks as a rare sophomore starter for the Spartans while starting on both the offensive and defensive lines.

“I was way smaller than other guys so it was a really good learning tool to see where I stood and that I needed to get bigger, stronger and faster and I think I have done that,” Linderbaum said. “I’ve always been decent at football but sophomore year when I was moved up to varsity I kind of realized this sport is for me.”

Linderbaum proved to be just scratching the surface as a sophomore.

He was dominant on both sides of the ball last season making 42.5 tackles including seven for loss on his way to all-state honors.

The strong junior season led to scholarship offers from Iowa and Iowa State and Linderbaum committed to the Hawkeyes last spring.

Up 30 pounds from a year ago Miller believes Linderbaum is just getting started.

“He has elevated his play this year, he really has,” Miller said. “He could have definitely rested on his laurels, he got his scholarship but he’s been so focused on improving and he’s 30 pounds bigger than he was last yet and he doesn’t look it.”

Linderbaum is already on a list of all-time great players at Solon.  

He wants to cement that status with a strong senior season that ends at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls.

“It’s awesome to be a part of that list of great players,” Linderbaum said. “Solon has a great tradition I just want to get back to the winning and that’s what we are trying to do.”