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Over the years, Iowa’s best offensive linemen have had some combination of quick feet and sheer power. The Hawkeyes ask a lot of the big men up front in a zone blocking scheme. They need to be able to get into space to cut off linebackers but also dig out big defensive linemen.
That’s exactly what the coaching staff has found with 4-star offensive lineman Tyler Elsbury of Byron, Illinois. Elsbury committed to Iowa back in March. Today he is officially a Hawkeye.
A B1G addition to OLineU | #Swarm20 @ElsburyTyler https://t.co/OXeNkLu015 pic.twitter.com/lcC1cQLCoQ
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) December 18, 2019
Elsbury looks like a prototypical offensive tackle at Iowa. He has an excellent frame at 6’6” and already 300 pounds as a high school senior. Iowa’s starter at left tackle, Alaric Jackson, was listed at 6’6” and 320 pounds this season. It’s easy to see Elsbury adding some bulk over the next 8 months and being able to slide into a competition at tackle sooner than later.
At the prep level, Elsbury dominated competition. He has tremendous feet for his size and is excellent in space. Playing primarily left tackle, his Byron team used him effectively on sweeps and pulls to track down oftentimes multiple defenders on the same play. At the point of contact, Elsbury is a mauler who feasts on pancakes.
In the passing game, he’s got a good reach with the excellent length and those feet serve him well in a pass set. Those attributes earned him 4 stars at 247 Sports, which lists him at guard. Rivals projects him at tackle, which seems more likely given his length, but only gives him 3 stars.
Regardless of star ranking, Elsbury is exactly what the Iowa coaches dream of when they think of an incoming offensive tackle.
Welcome aboard, officially, Tyler Elsbury!