In which BracketCat counts down the 41st day until the 2024 kickoff with a profile of Kansas State linebacker Austin Moore.
NOTE: Kansas State has elected to advance players’ classification even though the 2020 season did not affect eligibility. Those who wish to take advantage of this extra year will be listed as a (“super”) senior again after their original eligibility would have been exhausted.
#41 Austin Moore
Redshirt Super Senior | 6-1 | 220 lbs. | Louisburg, Kansas
- Position: Linebacker
- Previous College: None
- Projection: Starter
- Status: On Scholarship
Richard Austin “The Machine” Moore (b. June 30, 2000) is a former walk-on linebacker from Louisburg High School who redshirted during the 2019 season, but eventually earned a scholarship and cemented himself as a starting linebacker for Chris Klieman, who calls him “one of the best communicators on the field.”
Moore has started each of the last 27 games dating back to the first game of 2022 season.
He enters his final campaign needing 78 tackles to become the 27th player in school history with 250 in a career. He also needs just 57 solo tackles to be in the top 10 in school history.
Moore enters his sixth and final season with a chance to join Ian Campbell, B.J. Finney and Will Geary as the only former walk-ons to earn All-Big 12 honors three times in a career.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from Kansas State in May 2023, while he currently is working on his minors in gerontology and biology and also has a certificate in sales and a minor in business. (More on his accomplishments in this recent profile piece…)
You can read more about the origin story here. Regarding the nickname, former defensive end Nate Matlack explained it rather well:
(Moore)’s a hard-working, nose-to-the-grindstone type of guy. We always call him “The Machine” because that’s what he is. He puts in the work every day and never skips a rep. He’s just that type of guy who does all the little things right all the time and that’s why he is where he is now.
At this year’s Big 12 Media Days in Las Vegas, Moore told more about the name’s origins:
It was during the 2019 season that Moore earned his nickname “The Machine” — a nickname bestowed upon him by then-defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton due to Moore’s stoic, studious nature.
“I’m kind of a shy guy, but even more so back then,” Moore said. “I was locked in almost like a robot. On the football field, I was working hard. It was really consistent day in and day out, kind of like a robot.”
His position coach, Steve Stanard, echoed this assessment earlier this spring:
You don’t come across those kinds of guys all the time. He has a great attention to detail, an unbelievable attention to detail. You watch him in practice, man, and he’s not just going through the motions. He’s trying to do exactly what you ask him to do from a footwork, separation and drop-zone standpoint.
“The Machine” — he’s really come into his own. He really did a great job watching Daniel Green and the leader he became. Austin has always led by example. You don’t get the nickname “The Machine” if you don’t lead by example, but now he’s become an extremely vocal leader for us, and he’s without a doubt one of the alphas on our team.
Moore first saw action in seven games during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season — primarily on special teams — while also serving as a reserve linebacker and totaling four tackles on the season, including a season-high three against Kansas.
He also earned first-team Academic All-Big 12 honors following that season, as he was one of 13 players in the league to be nominated with a 4.0 grade-point average, and he was placed on scholarship following the 2020 season.
Said defensive end Brendan Mott of his fellow walk-on’s journey to that point:
He’s the leader of our defense and of our team. Austin Moore is the epitome of what K-State is all about and what a walk-on is all about. He’s a hard-working kid and he’s nicknamed “The Machine” for a reason.
Moore then played in all 13 games in 2021, including earning his first career start at Kansas, as he finished the year with 18 tackles and three tackles for loss. He posted a career-best five tackles against the Jayhawks, while he had three apiece against both TCU and LSU.
Moore tallied his first full tackle for loss against the Horned Frogs and had half a tackle for loss in four of his final five games. He also remained a significant contributor on kickoff coverage and the punt return unit, and again was a first-team Academic All-Big 12 honoree.
During the 2022 Big 12 Championship season, Moore started all 14 games, leading the team with 87 tackles and ranking second with 10 tackles for loss en route to All-Big 12 honorable mention accolades from the league’s coaches.
He also had 1.5 sacks, an interception, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery, while his two forced fumbles came against TCU and Oklahoma State as he tied for first in the Big 12 Conference for conference-only games.
Moore tallied at least five tackles in every regular-season contest, while he had at least eight stops in five games and also registered at least half a tackle for loss in nine of 14 games.
He collected a career-best nine tackles against both Oklahoma and TCU, while he posted eight tackles each against Tulane, Baylor and Kansas.
Moore set a new career high with two tackles for loss against Missouri and came back with two more the next week against Tulane, when he also carded his first career full sack.
He successfully defended two passes against both Texas Tech and Iowa State — the first ones of his career — in addition to one more in the Big 12 Championship game against TCU.
Moore’s contest against the Red Raiders included his first career interception and he recovered a fumble in the Big 12 Championship (and it should have been two, plus a safety).
An Academic All-District honoree from College Sports Communicators in addition to earning first-team Academic All-Big 12 accolades, he again was nominated with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average.
Moore started all 13 games last season and tied for team-high honors with 63 tackles, to go along with a team-leading 12.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery as he earned All-Big 12 second-team honors from the league’s coaches, in addition to earning votes for the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year award.
He set a career high with three tackles for loss in the 2023 opener against SEMO, which included a sack, while he came back with two more tackle for loss against Troy.
It was the second time in Moore’s career that he had multiple tackles for loss in consecutive games, as he also had two apiece against Missouri and Tulane in 2022, plus a pair at Kansas.
He made a season-high eight tackles in consecutive games at Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, while he posted seven at Texas and also had half a sack against TCU.
Moore, who was voted a team captain for 2023 (and likely will be again this year), again earned Academic All-District honors from College Sports Communicators and first-team Academic All-Big 12 accolades, being nominated yet again with a perfect 4.0 GPA, plus he added National Football Foundation (NFF) Hampshire Honor Society list honors as well.
He prepped under head coach Robert Ebenstein at Louisburg High School, where he helped those other Wildcats to earn an 11-2 record in 2018 and a trip to the state playoffs.
Moore earned first-team all-state honors as a running back during his senior season from The Topeka Capital-Journal and The Wichita Eagle, while he was an honorable mention pick from both organizations as a junior.
He also picked up three all-league honors as a linebacker and two as a running back, and he was a finalist for the Frank Fontana Award as the most outstanding high school football player in the smaller class in the greater Kansas City area.
Moore totaled 226 tackles, five forced fumbles and 17 tackles for loss, in addition to rushing for 3,021 yards, during his prep career.
He also was a three-time state qualifier in wrestling who finished fourth at State in 2019.
Moore enters the 2024 season with an abundance of confidence mixed with self reflection:
The most important thing is to believe in yourself. There are plenty of people who aren’t going to believe in you. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one is going to make it happen for you. Set realistic goals. Know if you work hard and take care of business you can make it happen.
What does Klieman have to say about Moore as the 2024 season hype begins to ramp up?
What more can you say about “The Machine?” Our program is so fortunate to have Austin come back for a sixth year. That’s one thing that was really important to Coach Steve Stanard and I to try and get him to come back for another year.
He’s one of the best leaders I’ve been around. We’ve been around some really good leaders in Eli Huggins, Kade Warner and Daniel Green. Austin Moore might trump them all in his ability to lead the whole football team.
P.S. The Moore legacy is set to continue in 2025 and beyond, as Austin’s younger brother, Ashton, has just committed to the Wildcats!