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Princeton University Athletics
Evan Haynie
Photo by: Foley Photography
Special Connections: Evan Haynie '27
September 22, 2026 | Football
By Craig Sachson
PrincetonTigersFootball.com
The rest of Chattanooga, Tennessee, may have treated that afternoon like a celebration, but Evan Haynie wasn't buying it. To the Baylor School senior captain, stepping onto the turf at UTC's Finley Stadium was strictly business — business 50 years in the making.
Within hours, the two-way standout at receiver and cornerback would help author a wild 38-34 comeback over a Montgomery Bell Academy squad led by current Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed, snapping Baylor's half-century title drought. Even when the Red Raiders fell behind by two touchdowns early, the message from head coach Erik Kimrey never left Haynie's head.
"Always believe something great is about to happen," Haynie remembers. "That was the mindset that we preached all year. When that does happen, you have to hop on that wave, and you have to ride it out."
Haynie and teammates rode the wave to a historic conclusion, and those words remain pertinent today. The senior captain and All-Ivy League honoree left his final preseason in Orange and Black believing something great was about to happen again.
• • •
Football has always been close to the Haynie family. Two uncles on his mother's side, Ricky and Andre Thomas, played football at Alabama and Georgia Tech, respectively. Ricky would go on to coach cornerbacks with the Indianapolis Colts, so you would think him telling his nephew that he would play cornerback someday would be a foundational moment.
"It went in one ear and out the other," Haynie said with a smile. "Back then, I liked scoring touchdowns. I wanted to be a receiver."
Evan's parents, Takisha and Mario Haynie, listened far better back then, so when his uncles stressed staying away from tackle football until the sixth grade, they followed the advice. Haynie grew up playing as many sports as possible, and he'd end up lettering in football, basketball and track & field at the Baylor School. He did play receiver for the state championship squad, but he began to recognize what his uncle saw years earlier.
"I think he saw my ball skills and my physicality," Haynie said. "Everybody wants to score, but he was in the league and knew the advantages of mastering the defensive back position. He started working with my technique early on. As I started to develop that technique, he told me I needed to take it seriously. You're on an island at that position. I wanted to master it."
His development drew interest from plenty of schools, but an early conversation with Princeton's EJ Henderson — one that had nothing to do with football — stayed with Haynie throughout the recruiting process.
"Coach Henderson and I had a bond from Day 1," Haynie said. "My call with him was unlike any I had with another recruiter or coach. It was all about life, goals, aspirations. We talked for hours, and it stuck with me."
That conversation started the path for Haynie to become a fixture in the Princeton defensive backfield. He enters Saturday having played in 27 of a possible 31 games of his career, including each of the last 21. He was a full-time starter last season, when he recorded 38 tackles and three interceptions on his way to All-Ivy League honorable mention. It was a very good season for Haynie, but he always finds ways to get better.
"Evan has been a terrific player for us the last three seasons," head coach Bob Surace said. "He is one of the most competitive players I've been around, and this extends to the weight room and meetings. He brings energy every day."
He was a focal point on a Princeton defense that began to click over the final month of the 2025 season, when it didn't allow a single opponent to score more than 20 points. However, all of those performances ended up as losses. Haynie, whose leadership had been invaluable in high school, knew he needed to step up again to keep the locker room united as it moved towards the 2026 season.
"I spend a lot of time connecting with guys on the other side of the ball," Haynie said. "One of the big reasons that I see teams fracture is because there isn't that relationship across both sides. Just because I'm a captain on the defensive side, that doesn't mean that I'm only leading the defensive side. I need to build those bonds with guys across the ball so I can be their biggest hype man when they succeed, or we have trust when times are tough."
His efforts were noticed by his teammates, who voted Haynie one of four captains for the 2026 season. While he does connect with everybody, he has a special connection with fellow captain Torian Roberts, who starts opposite Haynie at the other cornerback position. They are each other's biggest supporters and hype men, and they share the same vision for what this team can become.
But when the ball is in the air, it's every man for himself.
"Everybody wants to make the big play," Haynie said. "When you have that sense of competitiveness within your own group, it elevates everybody. Torian is one of my best friends at all times. But when we're on the field, the only way for me to make him better and him to make me better is for us to compete."
The duo leads a defensive backfield that is loaded with both experience and talent, and a group that can be a key force for an improved unit. Despite a Week 1 loss, Haynie has felt a different energy and belief on this squad, and it brings him back to that locker room with the Baylor School, when everybody believed something great was about to happen.
"Positivity fills the locker room," he said. "When guys continue to practice hard and hang out together, we keep the belief strong that something good is going to happen. I believe that the ingredients are there. I believe that since I've been here, this is the strongest senior class we've had from a leadership and talent perspective. We have a lot of younger guys who can make big plays."
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PrincetonTigersFootball.com
The rest of Chattanooga, Tennessee, may have treated that afternoon like a celebration, but Evan Haynie wasn't buying it. To the Baylor School senior captain, stepping onto the turf at UTC's Finley Stadium was strictly business — business 50 years in the making.
Within hours, the two-way standout at receiver and cornerback would help author a wild 38-34 comeback over a Montgomery Bell Academy squad led by current Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed, snapping Baylor's half-century title drought. Even when the Red Raiders fell behind by two touchdowns early, the message from head coach Erik Kimrey never left Haynie's head.
"Always believe something great is about to happen," Haynie remembers. "That was the mindset that we preached all year. When that does happen, you have to hop on that wave, and you have to ride it out."
Haynie and teammates rode the wave to a historic conclusion, and those words remain pertinent today. The senior captain and All-Ivy League honoree left his final preseason in Orange and Black believing something great was about to happen again.
• • •
Football has always been close to the Haynie family. Two uncles on his mother's side, Ricky and Andre Thomas, played football at Alabama and Georgia Tech, respectively. Ricky would go on to coach cornerbacks with the Indianapolis Colts, so you would think him telling his nephew that he would play cornerback someday would be a foundational moment.
"It went in one ear and out the other," Haynie said with a smile. "Back then, I liked scoring touchdowns. I wanted to be a receiver."
Evan's parents, Takisha and Mario Haynie, listened far better back then, so when his uncles stressed staying away from tackle football until the sixth grade, they followed the advice. Haynie grew up playing as many sports as possible, and he'd end up lettering in football, basketball and track & field at the Baylor School. He did play receiver for the state championship squad, but he began to recognize what his uncle saw years earlier.
"I think he saw my ball skills and my physicality," Haynie said. "Everybody wants to score, but he was in the league and knew the advantages of mastering the defensive back position. He started working with my technique early on. As I started to develop that technique, he told me I needed to take it seriously. You're on an island at that position. I wanted to master it."
His development drew interest from plenty of schools, but an early conversation with Princeton's EJ Henderson — one that had nothing to do with football — stayed with Haynie throughout the recruiting process.
"Coach Henderson and I had a bond from Day 1," Haynie said. "My call with him was unlike any I had with another recruiter or coach. It was all about life, goals, aspirations. We talked for hours, and it stuck with me."
That conversation started the path for Haynie to become a fixture in the Princeton defensive backfield. He enters Saturday having played in 27 of a possible 31 games of his career, including each of the last 21. He was a full-time starter last season, when he recorded 38 tackles and three interceptions on his way to All-Ivy League honorable mention. It was a very good season for Haynie, but he always finds ways to get better.
"Evan has been a terrific player for us the last three seasons," head coach Bob Surace said. "He is one of the most competitive players I've been around, and this extends to the weight room and meetings. He brings energy every day."
He was a focal point on a Princeton defense that began to click over the final month of the 2025 season, when it didn't allow a single opponent to score more than 20 points. However, all of those performances ended up as losses. Haynie, whose leadership had been invaluable in high school, knew he needed to step up again to keep the locker room united as it moved towards the 2026 season.
"I spend a lot of time connecting with guys on the other side of the ball," Haynie said. "One of the big reasons that I see teams fracture is because there isn't that relationship across both sides. Just because I'm a captain on the defensive side, that doesn't mean that I'm only leading the defensive side. I need to build those bonds with guys across the ball so I can be their biggest hype man when they succeed, or we have trust when times are tough."
His efforts were noticed by his teammates, who voted Haynie one of four captains for the 2026 season. While he does connect with everybody, he has a special connection with fellow captain Torian Roberts, who starts opposite Haynie at the other cornerback position. They are each other's biggest supporters and hype men, and they share the same vision for what this team can become.
But when the ball is in the air, it's every man for himself.
"Everybody wants to make the big play," Haynie said. "When you have that sense of competitiveness within your own group, it elevates everybody. Torian is one of my best friends at all times. But when we're on the field, the only way for me to make him better and him to make me better is for us to compete."
The duo leads a defensive backfield that is loaded with both experience and talent, and a group that can be a key force for an improved unit. Despite a Week 1 loss, Haynie has felt a different energy and belief on this squad, and it brings him back to that locker room with the Baylor School, when everybody believed something great was about to happen.
"Positivity fills the locker room," he said. "When guys continue to practice hard and hang out together, we keep the belief strong that something good is going to happen. I believe that the ingredients are there. I believe that since I've been here, this is the strongest senior class we've had from a leadership and talent perspective. We have a lot of younger guys who can make big plays."
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Players Mentioned
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