Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum exits Citrus Bowl early

Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum, the best center in college football, exited the Vrbo Citrus Bowl with six minutes left in the fourth quarter with a leg injury. He was seen grabbing his left foot after he was driven to the ground on a play.

The talented center will likely be a top 10 overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft. He showed why on a number of plays today in the Citrus Bowl, including a running play where he showed his mind-blowing speed in the open field.

Check it out below and watch #65 flat out fly in the open field in clearing the road for his tight end, Sam LaPorta.

Tyler Linderbaum (65) can MOVE 😳

#️⃣6️⃣ prospect on PFF’s 2022 Draft Boardpic.twitter.com/kXgYqJCGXh

— PFF (@PFF) January 1, 2022

He’s impressive and it’s sad to see one of the top picks in the 2022 NFL Draft exit early with an injury. College football fans across the country never want to see it, but it’s football. Injuries are a part of the game. It’s a big reason why so many players decide to opt out of the bowls.

Linderbaum walked to the locker room with trainers. But then he jogged back to the Iowa sideline in his uniform, to a standing ovation from the Hawkeye fans in attendance at Camping World Stadium.

Linderbaum returned to the game for the final series

Linderbaum returned to the game on Iowa’s final series, but Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras threw his third interception to end the game. Iowa lost 20-17, thanks to Kentucky’s all-world receiver, Wan’Dale Robinson juking out a couple of Hawkeye defenders. It was one of the most electrifying plays of the bowl season.

The good news for Hawkeye fans and Linderbaum is the injury doesn’t appear to be serious if he decided to come back in the game after being injured. We’ll just have to wait and see. Credit to him for returning to the game for one more series, when he easily could have shut it down.

He was recently named the winner of the Rimington Trophy, awarded to the nation’s top center in college football. On Dec. 15, Linderbaum became the 10th Hawkeye football player in program history to earn unanimous consensus All-America honors.