Top Lineman Austin Firestone Commits to Northwestern
After taking official visits to Northwestern, Virginia and Vanderbilt in June, offensive and defensive lineman Austin Firestone took a family trip to Montana to mull over his options.
“That’s where I processed all my information,” Firestone said. “You know just walking up a mountain, getting that clarity. That’s kind of where I was able to make my decision, and I feel really good about it.”
One of the most talented lineman from one of the most talent-rich states has decided to join Pat Fitzgerald’s squad in 2022. The 6-foot-5, 260-pound lineman committed to Northwestern on Wednesday morning. He had a total of 24 offers including 19 from Power 5 schools.
So excited to join the @NUFBFamily!
— Austin Firestone (@AustinFireston1) July 7, 2021
Go Cats! #committed @coachfitz51 @CoachJimONeil @DLCoachLong @CoachBenHammer pic.twitter.com/gl7PQYXvBW
Firestone is a consensus three-star and top-70 player in Florida. He is homeschooled but plays football and basketball for the Florida Panhandle’s Niceville High School (Niceville, Fla.) where he helped lead the Eagles to an 11-1 season and a deep playoff run last fall.
In his junior season on the defensive line, Firestone averaged 5.4 tackles per game and had 43 total tackles. He led the team in tackles for loss with 17 and sacks with 9.5 despite only playing in eight of the team’s 11 games.
In Firestone Northwestern is getting both an elite and versatile player and person. The triathlon running, piano playing, jiu jitsu-practicing radar engineer and beekeeper boasts a 4.86 40-yard dash time and squats 435 pounds. Plus, he has a 4.0 GPA and an ACT score of 31.
Firestone was recruited by Northwestern exclusively for the defensive side of the ball. Multiple members of the coaching staff made an impression on him throughout the recruiting process and played a role in his decision.
“Coach Fitz, Coach O’Neil and Coach Long are an awesome trio,” Firestone said. “I’m looking forward to all of the amazing people I’ll get to play with when I get up there.”
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Ashton Pollard is a reporter for Wildcats Daily on Sports Illustrated's FanNation Network. She is currently a graduate student studying sports journalism at Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism and a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.