Kansas State University Athletics
2025 Football Roster
Jersey Number 45
Austin Romaine
- Position:
- Linebacker
- Height:
- 6-2
- Weight:
- 245
- Class:
- Junior
- Hometown:
- Hillsboro, Mo.
- High School:
- Hillsboro
Bio
CAREER HONORS
• 2025 Bronko Nagurski Award watch list
• 2025 Chuck Bednarik Award watch list
• 2025 Butkus Award watch list
• 2024 All-Big 12 Second Team (Coaches, Associated Press)
• 2024 Academic All-District (College Sports Communicators)
• 2024 Academic All-Big 12
• 2023 Honorable Mention Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year (Coaches)
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2024: Played in every game with 12 starts, leading the team with 96 tackles to go along with 7.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, three forced fumbles and two pass breakups over his 621 defensive snaps en route to All-Big 12 Second Team honors from both the league’s coaches and Associated Press… Tied for fifth in the Big 12 in forced fumbles and finished ninth in tackles… Recorded the most tackles in a season by a Wildcat since Jayd Kirby had 99 in 2017… Had at least five tackles in 11 games, including a career-high 12 tackles at West Virginia, Houston and Iowa State… His 12 tackles at West Virginia were the most by a Wildcat in a single game since Daniel Green had 13 at Baylor in 2020… Also produced nine tackles at BYU, eight tackles at Tulane and seven apiece against Arizona, Oklahoma State and in the Rate Bowl against Rutgers… Tallied a career-high 2.0 sacks at Tulane – tied for the second most by any Big 12 player in 2024 – while he had a career-high 2.5 TFLs at Houston… Two of his forced fumbles led to game-winning scores as one was returned 60 yards for a touchdown at Tulane in a seven-point win, while another led to a 51-yard field goal against Kansas in a two-point victory... Earned Academic All-District honors from College Sports Communicators in addition to being an Academic All-Big 12 performer.
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2023: A true freshman who played in 12 games with five starts as he earned votes from the league’s coaches for the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year award... His five starts were the most by a Wildcat true freshman defender since cornerback Duke Shelley started seven games in 2015 and the most by a K-State true freshman linebacker since at least 1988... Totaled 22 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and one sack over his 320 defensive snaps while also seeing time on 67 special teams plays... Set a season high with six tackles at Oklahoma State, while he had four at Texas Tech and three against both Troy and UCF... Had a TFL in three-straight games, which included his first-career sack at Texas Tech... Tallied his first-career TFL against UCF in his first-career start, a game in which he became K-State’s first true freshman to start at linebacker since Tre Walker in 2010 (Missouri and Colorado), and the first in a home game since Reggie Blackwell in 1989 (North Texas).
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HIGH SCHOOL: Played at Hillsboro under head coach Bill Sucharski... Regarded as the 49th-best inside linebacker in the Class of 2023 by ESPN... Earned first team all-state honors as both a junior and senior from the Missouri Football Coaches Association... Selected the league’s most valuable player in 2022... Recorded 117 tackles and seven sacks as a senior, while he totaled 85 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and eight sacks as a junior... Rushed for 3,196 yards and 45 touchdowns over his prep career... Also competed in baseball.
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PERSONAL: Austin Romaine (pronounced roe-MANE) was born September 3, 2004, in Hillsboro, Missouri... Son of Jason Romaine and Alexia Romaine... Has three siblings, Madison, Caleigh and Anthony... Majoring in business administration.
• 2025 Bronko Nagurski Award watch list
• 2025 Chuck Bednarik Award watch list
• 2025 Butkus Award watch list
• 2024 All-Big 12 Second Team (Coaches, Associated Press)
• 2024 Academic All-District (College Sports Communicators)
• 2024 Academic All-Big 12
• 2023 Honorable Mention Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year (Coaches)
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2024: Played in every game with 12 starts, leading the team with 96 tackles to go along with 7.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, three forced fumbles and two pass breakups over his 621 defensive snaps en route to All-Big 12 Second Team honors from both the league’s coaches and Associated Press… Tied for fifth in the Big 12 in forced fumbles and finished ninth in tackles… Recorded the most tackles in a season by a Wildcat since Jayd Kirby had 99 in 2017… Had at least five tackles in 11 games, including a career-high 12 tackles at West Virginia, Houston and Iowa State… His 12 tackles at West Virginia were the most by a Wildcat in a single game since Daniel Green had 13 at Baylor in 2020… Also produced nine tackles at BYU, eight tackles at Tulane and seven apiece against Arizona, Oklahoma State and in the Rate Bowl against Rutgers… Tallied a career-high 2.0 sacks at Tulane – tied for the second most by any Big 12 player in 2024 – while he had a career-high 2.5 TFLs at Houston… Two of his forced fumbles led to game-winning scores as one was returned 60 yards for a touchdown at Tulane in a seven-point win, while another led to a 51-yard field goal against Kansas in a two-point victory... Earned Academic All-District honors from College Sports Communicators in addition to being an Academic All-Big 12 performer.
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2023: A true freshman who played in 12 games with five starts as he earned votes from the league’s coaches for the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year award... His five starts were the most by a Wildcat true freshman defender since cornerback Duke Shelley started seven games in 2015 and the most by a K-State true freshman linebacker since at least 1988... Totaled 22 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and one sack over his 320 defensive snaps while also seeing time on 67 special teams plays... Set a season high with six tackles at Oklahoma State, while he had four at Texas Tech and three against both Troy and UCF... Had a TFL in three-straight games, which included his first-career sack at Texas Tech... Tallied his first-career TFL against UCF in his first-career start, a game in which he became K-State’s first true freshman to start at linebacker since Tre Walker in 2010 (Missouri and Colorado), and the first in a home game since Reggie Blackwell in 1989 (North Texas).
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HIGH SCHOOL: Played at Hillsboro under head coach Bill Sucharski... Regarded as the 49th-best inside linebacker in the Class of 2023 by ESPN... Earned first team all-state honors as both a junior and senior from the Missouri Football Coaches Association... Selected the league’s most valuable player in 2022... Recorded 117 tackles and seven sacks as a senior, while he totaled 85 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and eight sacks as a junior... Rushed for 3,196 yards and 45 touchdowns over his prep career... Also competed in baseball.
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PERSONAL: Austin Romaine (pronounced roe-MANE) was born September 3, 2004, in Hillsboro, Missouri... Son of Jason Romaine and Alexia Romaine... Has three siblings, Madison, Caleigh and Anthony... Majoring in business administration.
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