Princeton lands Texas linebacker Austin Moilan after strong early bond

Princeton did not land Austin Moilan by selling flash. It won the Bastrop High School linebacker by building trust fast, then making him feel like the staff already knew exactly how to use him.

The Tigers offered Moilan on January 2, and the first Zoom with his family quickly set the tone. Inside linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator Mike Weick explained where Moilan fit, why Princeton wanted him and how the staff saw him as its top target. Moilan said that early conversation made Princeton feel like home, and that the connection with Weick was the deciding factor as his recruitment moved forward.

That matters in the Ivy League, where football looks different from almost every other corner of Division I. Princeton competes in the FCS, does not offer athletic scholarships and sells a combination of academics, tradition and football opportunity that has to resonate on its own. The pitch comes with real weight: Princeton says its football lineage begins with the first intercollegiate game in 1869, and the program claims 13 Ivy League championships and 28 national championships.

Moilan fits the type of player Princeton can point to as proof that its reach extends well beyond the Northeast. MaxPreps lists him at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds and identifies him as a junior in the class of 2027, giving Princeton an early commitment from a physically mature Texas defender. At Bastrop, he produced 88 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hurries, three sacks and two forced fumbles while leading the Bears in tackles. Bastrop went 11-2, reached the third round of the Texas Class 5A playoffs and broke a string of team records along the way.

The recruitment was not confined to Ivy League circles, either. Reported offers from Arizona State, Central Michigan, Jacksonville State, Yale, Columbia, Arkansas State, UTEP, Dartmouth, Pennsylvania, Cornell and Colgate showed how wide the chase had become before Princeton closed it. The Tigers also got a major boost from Moilan’s late-January visit, when he connected with the full staff and especially head coach Bob Surace.

For Princeton, Moilan’s pledge is another sign that high-academic FCS programs can win battles in Texas when the relationship is right. Weick has been on the Princeton staff since 2019, and the program’s own recent results, including the 2021 Ivy League title and a record 16 All-Ivy selections that season, give recruits a tangible football case. In Moilan, Princeton added a defender who chose the fit, the staff and the plan before the rest of the field could pull him away.