“Coach Prime been a man of his word” - Jimmy Horn Jr. recalls Deion Sanders visiting his incarcerated father to recruit
It’s been a bumpy road for Jimmy Horn Jr. to get to the NFL Draft, but having a father figure for a coach has helped him navigate that road well.
On the “Rich Eisen Show” on Thursday, the former First-team All-ACC talked about what having Deion Sanders as his coach at Colorado for two seasons meant to him and his family.
"Coach Prime recruited me back in high school and he told my dad, like, if I was going to Jackson State, that he’d always treat me like one of his own," said Horn at 1:49.
Horn’s real father was incarcerated in 2021 on drug-related charges, and the NFL Hall of Famer helped offer him stability and mentorship during that difficult time.
Sanders was the coach at Jackson State from 2020-2022. Horn played his first two seasons for South Florida before transferring to Colorado in 2023. Sanders became the Buffaloes’ coach in December 2022 and his mind on Horn hadn’t changed.
"Coach Prime been a man of his word, you know, he stood on everything he said, and ever since then, it’s been a great relationship between me and coach Prime; it’s like a father and son type of relationship," Horn added at 2:14.
Horn recalls that Sanders actually visited his dad in prison before signing him.
"He went and saw my dad. We had good convos going on, good loudness. It was a good little time that we spent with each other for a little minute," Horn added at 2:33.
Horn had offers from Penn State and Texas A&M before deciding to join Sanders in Colorado.
Jimmy Horn Jr’s draft stock rising
At last week’s NFL Combine, Horn made a strong impression on scouts and coaches. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds, completed the 10-yard split in 1.54 seconds and had a 38-inch broad jump.
On March 2, the day the Combine concluded, ESPN had him on their shortlist of six “risers” in draft stock because of their performance. Improvement and overcoming obstacles is what Horn’s been doing for a long time now.
During his days in South Florida, he went from 408 yards receiving and a touchdown in his first season to 551 yards and three scores in 2022. In his first year with Sanders in Colorado, he had 567 yards through the air and six touchdowns. Last season, he had 441 receiving yards with one touchdown.
Horn’s elusiveness could make him a real asset to NFL teams, whether as a receiver, returner of kicks, or both. He’ll have an opportunity to move up the draft table later this month with the NFL Pro Day on March 18.