Tyler Elsbury ready to get to work
As he gets ready to fulfill a lifelong dream and play for the Iowa Hawkeyes, offensive lineman Tyler Elsbury says he is ready to get to work. We caught up with the 6-foot-6, 300-pound Elsbury to discuss his upcoming freshman year at Iowa and much more.
Q: What have you been up to since the whole pandemic started and school shut down?
ELSBURY: I’ve been working out four days a week at my house. I have lots of weights in my basement, so I’ve been using those and staying in pretty good shape. I also do conditioning and just try to stay active really.
Q: Are you online for classes or are those done already?
ELSBURY: I’m done after Friday, but we were online for two months.
Q: Did you have your wrestling season cut short or were you able to finish?
ELSBURY: I got to finish the wrestling season and took second at state, but didn’t get to play baseball this year.
Q: In your conversations with Iowa, which coaches are you talking to the most right now?
ELSBURY: I’ve been talking to Coach Polasek the most. We’ve been staying in touch and going over some basic stuff where I can ask some questions about things. I think we’re hoping to move in June 13th right now.
Q: Are you doing Zoom meetings?
ELSBURY: Yeah, I’m just trying to absorb as much information as I can. It’s a lot of new terminology, so I’m just trying to get a head start.
Q: Has he said if you are coming in at guard or tackle this year?
ELSBURY: He pretty much said anywhere, so I’ve been trying to learn about every position and just focusing on things I can do to get better.
Q: What are some of those things you can improve on?
ELSBURY: Definitely my footwork. On pass blocking, that’s a big emphasis, so I’m trying to stay agile during the quarantine. Other than that, he said I’m strong enough and have the size, so it’s just working on my footwork a lot more.
Q: Have you found out what number you are wearing in college?
ELSBURY: No.
Q: Any preference?
ELSBURY: Nah, it doesn’t really matter to me.
Q: What is your height and weight at coming in this year?
ELSBURY: I’m like 6-6 and about 300 pounds.
Q: Within your recruiting class, who are some of the guys you stay in touch with the most?
ELSBURY: I talk to Josh Volk a lot. We have a big group chat, so pretty much everyone really, but I talk to Josh and also Mason Richman a little bit.
Q: What is the feeling like for you growing up a Hawkeye fan and getting ready to leave for college at Iowa?
ELSBURY: It’s pretty exciting. I’m kind of ready to get out and be on my own a little bit, so I’m excited but it’s also a little nerve racking just leaving home for the first time.
Q: What advice has Sean Considine given you? I know he’s been one of your coaches and has obviously experienced the move up from Byron to Iowa before.
ELSBURY: He just says you’ve got to go in there and work your butt off. He succeeded by doing that, so that’s his advice is to be ready to go day one, don’t take any crap from anyone, and go earn it.
Q: Looking ahead, what is the feeling going to be like in your first game when you come out of the tunnel at Kinnick Stadium?
ELSBURY: I’m going to have a lot of nerves, that’s for sure. It’s been a longtime dream of mine, so it will be nerve racking, but I’m sure I’ll be ready when it comes.
Q: When you look back at your recruiting, what do you think made Iowa the right place for you?
ELSBURY: Just the coaches. You won’t find anywhere else that you can go in and have a normal conversation with and have it be just like you would have with anyone else. I didn’t get that feeling from any of the other schools that I visited, so that always stuck with me. Also, just all the other recruits coming in played a role as well. Those guys really had a big sway on me coming because it’s a good group of guys coming in.
A three-star prospect, Elsbury committed to Iowa on March 8, 2019, choosing the Hawkeyes over scholarship offers from Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Missouri, West Virginia, Syracuse, Northern Illinois, and Western Michigan.
As a senior, Elsbury led Byron to a 12-2 record and an appearance in the state title game.
See highlights from Elsbury's senior year in the video below.