#41 Austin Moore — Everything old is new again: A very familiar name will be stepping into the No. 41 jersey made popular these past four years by former walk-on Austin Moore (41). Only his little brother, Ashton, was talented enough to earn a scholarship offer. | Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

In which BracketCat counts down the 41st day until the 2025 kickoff with a profile of Kansas State linebacker Ashton Moore.

#41 Ashton Moore

True Freshman | 5-11 | 211 lbs. | Louisburg, Kansas

Position: Linebacker
Previous College: None
Projection: Redshirt
Status: On Scholarship

Ashton “The Baby Machine” Moore (b. May 22, 2006) is a linebacker from Louisburg High School with great bloodlines who is likely to redshirt and not play during the 2025 season.

Moore prepped under head coach Andrew Harding at Louisburg, where he was regarded as the 50th-best inside linebacker in the Class of 2025 by ESPN.

He earned first-team all-state honors at linebacker as a sophomore, junior, and senior from Sports in Kansas and The Wichita Eagle after he tallied 125 tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack in his junior year, while he added 947 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on offense.

Moore also recorded 125 tackles, eight tackles for loss, two sacks and four forced fumbles as a senior for the Wildcats en route to winning the 2024 Bobby Bell Award, which goes to the best offensive lineman, defensive lineman or linebacker among the smaller high school classes of the Kansas City metropolitan area.

He also was a two-time nominee for the Simone Award as the top prep player in the Kansas City metro area, recognized as the 2024-25 Louisburg Sports Zone Male Athlete of the Year and a participant in the 52nd annual Kansas Shrine Bowl.

Moore lettered four years in wrestling — placing fourth at the state meet — and three years in track, helping the 4×100 team to place third at the state meet and set the school record.

A three-star linebacking prospect, he chose the Wildcats over offers from Illinois State, Old Dominion and Pennsylvania, as well as strong interest from Kansas and South Dakota State.

Moore’s older brother, Austin, was a six-year linebacker for the Wildcats, while their sister, Alyse, was a member of the track and field program at the University of Kansas.