Bastrop 2027 QB Weston Nielsen (6-foot-2, 180 pounds) has been one of the top-performing prospects in Texas through the first four weeks of the season, highlighted by his Week 3 Built Ford Tough Player of the Week award after a nine-touchdown performance.

"Just play calm and play with heart," Nielsen said. "Trust your coaches and trust your teammates to get the job done. I just want to be a good role model for the next generation that comes into my spot, and I’ll support them in the future too."

On the recruiting front, Nielsen is already considered one of the premier prospects in the state, earning an early DCTF four-star rating and a spot on the five-star watchlist.

Colleges have certainly taken notice. He already holds 18 offers.

"It means that obviously I have the ability to play at the next level. I’m just gonna take one game at a time, play my game, and be myself because I know I can do it," Nielsen said, noting that Arizona State, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and TCU are among the programs standing out early in his process.

Those options also give him the chance to stay close to home.

"I like being close to home and close to my family," Nielsen said.

Bastrop head coach Jake Griedl praised his quarterback’s maturity, particularly his approach to preparation, which has helped him develop into one of the nation’s top arms.

"Weston’s a student of the game," Griedl said. "As a coach, you want kids that truly love the game, that live and breathe it, and that’s exactly who he is. Outside of family and faith, this is probably the most important thing in his life. You see it in how he works and prepares. People know the pressure of being a quarterback in Texas, but they don’t see the hours of work he puts in behind the scenes—studying the game, formulating questions, processing it mentally before taking it to the field."