Unlike most players, Lyons lineman Eddie Tuerk doesn’t have a favorite position.
The 6-foot-4, 285-pound senior earned all-state honors last season playing right tackle on offense and tackle and end on defense.
Tuerk, an Illinois commit, rarely comes off the field, and that’s the part he loves most.
“I don’t really have a huge love for either side,” he said. “I just love football, and I love hitting.”
Tuerk does a lot of hitting. The fourth-year starter has been dishing it out on the defensive line since his freshman year and started playing both ways as a junior.
“One of the things I love about defense is making tackles, getting sacks,” he said. “I think it’s a little more selfish, but it feels great getting your name called.
“But O-line is a bit of a brotherhood. It’s five guys working as one.”
Most two-way linemen are better on one side of the ball, and their college path is often determined before they enroll. But that’s not the case with Tuerk.
“Right now, I don’t know yet,” he said. “I will come in and pick a position and stay there and grind at that position.
“But I think there’s a lot more opportunity these days on the O-line, especially if you’re coming from the D-line. You’ve got a lot more experience than guys that have just played O-line their whole life.”
Lyons coach Jon Beutjer said the Lions will rely heavily on Tuerk’s experience.
“What I think is special about him as a high school player and also as a college player, and one of the reasons why he was so heavily recruited, is his ability to play on both sides of the ball,” Beutjer said. “That’s something we do here at LT is we have our guys play both sides of the ball.
“He’s big, physical and smart, so he’s going to play both offensive and defensive line for us. We’re thankful that we have him.”
Tuerk would not be the first member of his family to play on the offensive line in college. His grandfather, Ed, and grandfather’s brother, Fred, played center and guard, respectively, under Ara Parseghian at Northwestern in the early 1960s.
Tuerk had the opportunity to continue that family legacy at Northwestern and seriously considered it. Northwestern, Illinois and Miami made his final three, but Illinois coach Bret Bielema made the biggest impression.
“I got that gut feeling on the visit to Illinois,” Tuerk said. “You can tell that (Bielema) is really trying to get the Illinois talent to stay in state. I feel there is something building. Everyone knows Illinois is going to be a big player in the Big Ten.”
Tuerk sees parallels between the Illini and the Lions, who also are on the upswing under a relatively new coach.
“It’s almost a similar position that coach Bielema’s been in because coach Beutjer just took over the program (in 2020),” Tuerk said. “We struggled a bit our first year, but we went 9-3 last year, made it to the quarterfinals. This year I think we’re going to be even better.”
Beutjer, who played quarterback at Illinois, said he was thrilled to see Tuerk commit to his alma mater but didn’t try to influence the decision.
“Going through his recruiting process, I was there as more of a mentor,” Beutjer said. “I would listen to the college coaches who came in, and then when he asked me for advice, I would give it to him and tell him what I thought.
“I would never push him to Illinois or any school because I wanted him to be able to make the decision. But it is special that he is going to Illinois because I know there’s a lot of alums in the area and it’s a good school.”
Tuerk is leaning toward majoring in finance, which was another reason he was drawn to Illinois.
“You can’t go wrong at Illinois’ business school and can’t go wrong with coach Bielema,” he said.
Tuerk considers guard, center and nose tackle all possible positions for him at Illinois. Beutjer said he thinks Tuerk will be successful regardless of the position.
“He loves football. He loves the process,” Beutjer said. “That’s what’s so special about him. It’s rare for a high school player to enjoy the process. He enjoys going to the weight room. He enjoys doing extra stuff outside of LT to get stronger, faster and more explosive, and is constantly working on his game.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.