Princeton football names four captains for 2026 season

With Princeton football’s season opener against the Bryant Bulldogs (2–1 overall, 1–0 Coastal Athletic Association) fast approaching, the Tigers named their captains for the 2026 season. These players will act as leaders both on and off the field for the team throughout the upcoming campaign.

In total, four players were named, two on each side of the ball: senior right tackle Oyintare Porbeni, senior tight end Joey Wassler, senior defensive back Evan Haynie, and senior defensive back Torian Roberts.

The four captains were all starters for the team last year and clearly significant contributors in the locker room as well. They take over from the 2025 captains: Marco Scarano, Nasir Hill, Blaine Hipa, and Kai Colón, all members of the Class of 2026.

Historically, being named captain is both a great honor and a sign of future success. Three of Princeton’s most recent graduates-turned-NFL players were team captains, including Jalen Travis ’24, Andrei Iosivas ’22, and Henry Byrd ’22. 

“A big reason why I committed here in the first place was because of Jalen Travis,” Porbeni told The Daily Princetonian about the impact past captains have had on him. “I see him as a mentor, and almost another resource. We’re both from Minnesota, the same position, and I saw his success, not only on the field, but off the field.”

“If I can achieve even half of that [success], I’ll be in good hands here. And hopefully I can follow his blueprint, do that, do the shift here, and see what happens after that,” Porbeni continued.

Porbeni heads into his second season as a starter for the Tigers on the offensive line and at 6’7”, 300lbs, the comparisons to Travis are very clear. Despite the Tigers’ disappointing campaign in 2025, Porbeni was still named to the Phil Steele Fourth Team All-Ivy team.

For his part, Porbeni said he was honored to be named captain by the rest of the team, and that it’s a responsibility he doesn’t take lightly.

“It’s definitely an honor. I love this team; I love the guys,” Porbeni said. “Going from starting to play football at 16 to being voted captain of my college varsity team, that’s huge for me. I think that’s a testament to the development here at the program, the team, the guys around me, because I’m only a product of who I’m around, who I’m coached up by, and who I learned from.”

Wassler, the other senior captain on offense, also held a starting role last year. He started every game at tight end in 2025 — ending the season with 108 yards and 12 receptions — and saw action in all 10 games the season prior.

As an integral part of a team whose tight ends take up blocking roles, Wassler — alongside Porbeni and the rest of the offensive line — will continue to have his focus on protecting the quarterback, whomever that might be.

The team’s other captains, Haynie and Roberts, are both defensive players, and indeed both cornerbacks nonetheless. As is common for the defensive back room, both have taken snaps since their first-year seasons at Princeton and come into the year with a Second Team All-Ivy award for Roberts and an Honorable Mention All-Ivy award for Haynie.

“I’ve always told those guys, I always want to be a guy that they can look at to set the right example for this team, be a guy that can push everybody to a high level,” Roberts told the ‘Prince.’ “That’s what I want to continue to do throughout the season. And then that’s one of my biggest leadership qualities: trying to bring everybody with me.”

At corner last year, Roberts was extremely successful and will be hoping to level up his game once more. He recorded 42 tackles, four interceptions, and six pass breakups for the season with a pick six against Lafayette and two interceptions against Yale being particular highlights.

His counterpart on the other side of the field, Haynie, will also be looking to level up his game even further ahead of his senior year. The Chattanooga, Tenn., native, too, had a very impressive season at corner with 38 tackles and three interceptions on the year.

These captains will be integral for the team’s successes this year and the goals that they have set themselves.

“My biggest goal this year is being mainly focussed on the team,” Roberts told the ‘Prince’ about his and the team’s goals for the season. “We have got to get the Ivy League Championship, make playoffs — that’s a big one — and make a playoff run once we get there.”

Alex Beverton-Smith is a senior Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’

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