Tuerk hungry entering final season at Troy

To much of the outside world, Max Tuerk — USC’s starting center — is known through the lens of his accomplishments on the football field: an All-American across the board coming out of Rancho Santa Margarita high school four years ago, a solidified starter for the third consecutive season at USC after taking over a starting job in the final five games as a true freshman in 2012.

He has also been selected as a team captain for the second year in a row after being honored with a Pac-12 first-team selection last year as a junior.

Not to mention the fact that over the course of the next calendar year, Tuerk is expected to vie for All-American honors in his final season as a Trojan, graduate with a degree in public policy, planning and development, and quite possibly be selected in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

On paper, he is a prototypical “college football star,” at a university that has churned out more NFL draft picks than any other college in history. Though many wish they could, few other college athletes in the nation carry a resume as extraordinary as Tuerk’s. Of those few, even fewer are able to exercise humility and discipline amid the enticing lure of the athletic spotlight.

Those who know him on a personal level are treated to an incredibly kind, humble and grounded individual, something relatively atypical for someone in his position.

More often a man of few words than many, Tuerk goes about his business on the team as a leader by example, rather than explanation. When he does speak up, however, his teammates listen.

In fact, his peers hold him in such high regard that his fellow football mates voted him in as one of five team captains for 2015, the second year in a row in which he has been bestowed the opportunity.

Discussing the honor of being selected again, Tuerk made it clear it is something he is incredibly grateful for.

“It’s definitely a big honor for me to be a captain for the second time, mainly because the team votes in the captains,” Tuerk said. “I really respect my teammates, and it’s awesome that they chose to vote me in again.”

Tuerk is ready to embrace his role as a captain and leader even more so this year than in the past. When asked about his goals as a senior captain, his response was clear.

“I am going to try to be a little more vocal this year,” Tuerk said. “And, obviously, I want to continue to be a leader for the guys who are on the line with me.”

One reason Tuerk is so well-equipped to be a leader of the offensive line is his incredible versatility.

He has started at all five positions on the line in his career, and thus has the ability to fill in for any one of his teammates as well as mentor any one of the younger linemen he plays with.

Tuerk has also stepped up as a leader during the third offensive line coaching change in his USC career for the Trojans after last year’s offensive line coach, Tim Drevno, left USC to become the offensive coordinator for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan.

The team brought in 20-year coaching veteran Bob Connelly from Oklahoma State as his replacement.

Connelly has stepped in and made an immediate impact on the talented group of linemen, and has garnered approval from his senior captain.

“Coach Connelly is awesome,” Tuerk said. “He’s a great coach, a great teacher, and he definitely has a lot of passion and really cares about us. He helps us every single day with our technique, toughness and attitude.”

The smooth transition is not only a positive for Tuerk and his offensive line mates, but also figures to be a great thing for Tuerk’s roommate and close friend, quarterback and fellow captain Cody Kessler.

The two have a close relationship off the field, which undoubtedly factors into their chemistry on the field

“Cody’s a great guy, a great quarterback,” Tuerk said. “We communicate really well. I send the ball to him every single play, so it definitely helps that we have a close relationship.”

Tuerk snapping to Kessler will mark the start of a 2015 campaign in which Tuerk has identified a goal that stands above the rest in his mind and the minds of his teammates: to win the Pac-12 championship.

The team expects to take the first step toward that goal on Saturday at the Coliseum against Arkansas State. Max is confident that he and his teammates will be ready to go, thanks in large part to second year head coach Steve Sarkisian.

“Coach Sark definitely knows how to get guys pumped up,” Tuerk said. “He’s an awesome coach, and I really enjoy playing for him. He’s a great offensive mind, really smart, and he’s really relatable. Guys really really like him in the locker room.”

Though Saturday will mark Tuerk’s final “first game of the season” in a Trojan uniform, there is little doubt that he is ready to seize the moment.

As the starting center and senior captain for one the nation’s top programs, Tuerk will provide a calming presence as the anchor for a team looking to explode back into the upper rankings of college football. It’s time for one final go around, and Tuerk is ready.