2019 Baylor Player Spotlight: Sam Tecklenburg

By Pat Carrigan

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The afternoon after offensive lineman Sam Tecklenburg graduated from Baylor University, he celebrated by trading in his cap and gown for tape and pads, and running up the hill to the practice field for bowl prep.

“Hey Sam,” Matt Rhule said. “You graduated today. You have the day off.”

He didn’t care. Tecklenburg did what he did has done since the second he arrived on campus — put the team first. And days later, it paid off with a dominant performance by the offensive line in a 45-38 Texas Bowl victory over Vanderbilt.

That dedication hasn’t wavered, even after finishing undergrad. Tecklenburg, now a graduate student, had the latest class on Thursday nights. In order to be on time to Thursday night practices, he would go get taped up before class, would go to class taped and then would rush so he wouldn’t miss too much of practice.

And in case there’s any worry about skimping on classwork, Tecklenburg earned Baylor football’s spring academic award.

Tecklenburg came on campus in 2015 as a 255-pound tight end fighting for playing time. But during Rhule’s first spring, the team was working through offensive line issues after two likely starters retired because of injuries. For lack of options, offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon slotted Tecklenburg at tackle, and then later at guard and center.

Moving positions was a common occurrence at Plano High School. Tecklenburg played offensive line, defensive line and tight end for the Wildcats. But still, adding 20 pounds of muscle to be a slightly undersized interior lineman playing against future NFL players is daunting.

“I’d never played inside on the offensive line before,” Tecklenburg said. “It was a whole newterritory; you have to move some big boys playing there. I’ve gotten used to it and really had a lot of fun playing there. I feel like I can play any position on the O-line. Wherever is going to help us most in the fall is where I want to be." 

That statement was put to the test again in the spring. Tecklenburg is up to 305 pounds with great athleticism. After starting at center for most of the past two seasons, Nixon experimented with Tecklenburg at guard and Clemson transfer Jake Fruhmorgen at center to try and get the five best linemen on the field. He’s taken that challenge to heart and become a standout again.

“He doesn’t do it because the coaches ask him to do it, he doesn’t do it because anyone wants him to,” Rhule said. “He does it because he loves the game and wants to be great at it. He, to me, is the ultimate example of process.”

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