Loyalty over money is one of the most affable traits in athletes, given the short span of their careers. Therefore, it’s no wonder that CSU fans are thrilled with QB Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi and WR Tory Horton, following the revelation that the duo turned down six-figure offers to stay with the program.
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During an appearance at the Mountain West Media Days in July, CSU head coach Jay Norvell revealed that several college football teams approached both Brayden and Horton with offers of $600,000 each to lure them away from CSU. While Kansas State was the main contender for Brayden, numerous Power Four schools tried to entice Horton.
As Norvell revealed:
“Tory just tells me, ‘Hey, this guy just called me last night and asked me this and offered me,’ and I just laugh. Just thank God we’ve got Tory Horton because he’s an amazing kid.”
“Same thing with Brayden. Brayden had the same kind of offers. If you have enough evidence, you can prove it. He said a guy from Kansas State called him, offered him $600,000 because they lost their quarterback if he got in the portal,” the CSU head coach continued.
With the duo being the cornerstone for the Rams and their impressive showings last year [Horton: 96 receptions for 1,136 yards and 8 TDs: Brayden: 292-for-470 for 3,460 yards for 22 TDs], it’s no surprise that the duo was one of the hottest names on numerous college football team’s list.
Clearly, Brayden and Horton were motivated to stay in Colorado for personal reasons of growth and their rapport with the Rams staff. However, what endeared them most to fans were the emotional reasons they cited for their decision.
Brayden and Horton reveal their rationale behind rejecting the hefty payouts
Speaking to CBS Sports’ Richie Cozzolino, the CSU QB revealed that his motivation as a football player doesn’t stem from money. For him, at the age of 20, the priority is to develop his skills and his resume of achievements holistically. For Brandon, the key is to back himself and choose the higher path, for he knows that the money will follow if the quality is there.
“It’s how I was raised. I didn’t come here to make money. I came here to win games and play ball for the Rams… I think if we play ball here, we do our job, we do what we are supposed to, we win championships, go to the playoff, shock the world, I think the money will come eventually,” the QB said.
Le it be known: Colorado State can’t be bought.
CSU QB Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi and WR Tory Horton were each offered $600,000 to hit the transfer portal. They declined, and chose to stay at CSU.
I asked the pair the reason why. Their responses are impressive. pic.twitter.com/zGgeAcCaYQ
— Richie Cozzolino (@RichieCozz) August 14, 2024
However, for Horton, his relationship and loyalty to Coach Norvell were too valuable to give up. For those not familiar with the context, Horton and Norvell’s relationship extends beyond their CSU tenure, as they first met when Jay was the head coach at Nevada.
After playing together for two years for the Wolfpacks, the duo jumped ships to CSU and their last season’s exploits only speak for themselves. Hence, it was no surprise to see Horton stay at CSU.
“[Jay Norvell] gave me that shot out of high school … he was the only one that really believed in me… It takes a lot of trust for a coach to go out of his way and go for someone who everyone has overlooked,” the wide receiver said during Mountain West Media Days.
Unfortunately for the duo, their presence, while delighting fans, didn’t make an impact on the field as CSU lost their opening fixture to the Texas Longhorns 52-0. A blowout loss, especially in a season opener, is the worst way to build excitement for fans. Thus, the onus is now on the QB-WR duo to put their words into action by giving their all to the team on the field.
