Following weeks of fall practice.Princeton Football announced their captains for the 2024 football season. With an opening game against Lehigh University less than one week away on Sept. 21, these players will lead the team into the 2024 season.
The Tigers selected five seniors as captains, representing both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball: offensive linemen Tommy Matheson and Nick Hilliard, running back John Volker, defensive lineman Collin Taylor, and defensive back Mason Armstead.
Their appointments as captain came as little surprise, as all five saw significant playing time last season and claim experience leading on the field. These players will take over from Class of 2024 graduates Ozzie Nicholas, Liam Johnson, Blake Stenstrom, and Jalen Travis, who guided the team as captains in the 2023 season.
In addition to bringing honor, being awarded the Princeton Football captaincy can be an indicator of big things to come. Three of last year’s captains (Nicholas, Johnson, and Travis) are playing out their fifth years in Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools, for Duke, Cal, and Iowa State respectively. The captains for the 2022 season included Andrei Iosivas, a wide receiver selected by the Bengals in the 6th round of the 2023 draft who operates as the team’s WR3 currently, and Henry Byrd, a guard on the Vikings’ practice squad. For Iosivas, he’s an essential cog in the Bengals offense, scoring two touchdowns in Sunday's matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Two starters on the offensive line, left guard Matheson and right guard Hilliard have been instrumental for Princeton at the guard position. Heading into their third season together as starting guards, the two linemen haven’t missed a game since the 2021 season when they were both first-years.
Last season, Hilliard received an Honorable Mention All-Ivy along with several of his teammates. Despite being a surprise omission from last season’s All-Ivy Awards, Matheson received Preseason First-Team All-Ivy honors.
The Tigers have been reliant on this pair for the last two seasons and will continue to be, both on and off the field, as these two head into their final season playing for the Tigers.
Volker, another offensive starter, was selected to be a captain for the season. Volker led the team in rushing yards last season, including a breakout game against Bryant where he rushed for 149 yards.
“I am honored that I have been elected captain by my teammates and am looking forward to lead this team to a championship,” Volker told The Daily Princetonian. “Being selected captain is not an accomplishment, but a responsibility to my teammates to foster a positive team culture.”
He will be crucial in the huddle, alongside Matheson and Hilliard, in pushing the team forward under the helm of a new quarterback following the end of Stenstrom’s time on the football team.
The other two Tigers selected to be captains for the season operate on the defense. Taylor is a defensive lineman for the Tigers and over the course of the last season became a starter for the Orange and Black, ending the season with 30 tackles.
“Myself and the other captains are extremely honored to represent our team this year,” Taylor said to the ‘Prince’ about his selection. “We’ve had the invaluable opportunity to learn from some great leaders that have come before us during our time here and we are hoping to continue their legacy by representing Princeton football to the best of our ability.”
Taylor will be leading the D-Line as a captain for the rest of the Tigers’ season and his time here, but he was also sure to credit those around him now for his current success.
“Personally, I’ve been fortunate enough to have my fellow defensive linemen Ryan Ives and Jack Delgarbino with me throughout every step of the college football process,” Taylor continued. “They have been a huge part of our success as a team, and I can’t wait to share the field again with them this year.”
Armstead, a defensive back, rounds out Princeton’s captains for the year. Armstead has seen action since his first-year and has been a regular player ever since — he ended last season with a career high 30 tackles including an interception and a forced fumble.
Having selected these five players as captains, the Tigers are ready for the season to get underway. These players will be crucial not only in their first matchup against Lehigh University but also in each of the nine games following that, as they hope to win the Ivy League title once again.
Alex Beverton-Smith is an assistant Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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