Last night, Jimmy Horn Jr. began his second college football season with a fantastic performance in Colorado’s opener. However, the bittersweet aspect of his stellar showing was the absence of his father, who has recently been incarcerated.
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Fortunately, in his father’s absence, Horn Jr. has found support in his coach Deion Sanders, who has been guiding the wide receiver through life’s challenges. Sanders, who’s aware of the plight of the young WR, said,
“Jimmy’s playing for his pop, man. Jimmy just came back from court seeing his father’s sentence. He gonna turn around and flip it and give you that?…That keeps him going because he’s trying to make it right with pops when he gets out.”
The young WR’s father has reportedly been incarcerated on multiple drug-related charges stemming from an incident on November 2, 2021. The sentencing for these charges was apparently finalized on August 14, 2024, in Seminole County Court.
Horn Sr., who also played football back in his days at Seminole High School, might be away, but he has paved the way for his son to be where he is today. A single father, Horn Sr. didn’t find life to be easy, taking on odd jobs like trucking and hairdressing for a living to provide for his son.
The father-son duo was raised in Sanford, Florida, where Horn Sr. consistently emphasized values such as hard work, discipline, and perseverance. These early lessons helped Jimmy Jr. navigate his tough neighborhood and provided him with the strength to pursue football from a young age. For the Buffs player, football became an escape from his daily challenges.
Since then, Horn Jr. has been working up the ranks in football while his father worked hard to make ends meet. Today, the Buffs WR finds himself playing for the legendary Coach Prime.
Deion Sanders is a father figure to Horn Jr.
Based on the visuals we’ve seen from Sanders’ coaching career so far, it’s clear that Coach Prime has been a father figure to all his players. Therefore, it was no surprise to see him recently express concern over his WR and his father’s situation.
Speaking to the press, Deion confirmed that he and the team are doing their best to not let Jimmy feel the absence of his father, whose timeline out of incarceration is currently unclear.
The magnitude of his wide receiver’s pain was felt by Prime when he got in touch with Horn Sr. The conversation with him also made Deion realize that Horn Sr. is a changed man, and he thus appealed to the media and fans to pray for his release.
“I just wish to God you could see in your heart an opportunity that he could come out of incarceration and have a chance to resume his fatherly responsibility, in which he was very, very good at,” the coach said.
“He has repented of what has transpired, and he is truly a different man,” Sanders continued.
While it’s unclear when Horn Sr. will be released from prison, his son is making him proud nonetheless. He tallied 7 receptions for 198 yards and one touchdown, with his biggest catch of the game being a 69-yard reception. If he keeps this up, Horn Jr.’s stock will rise significantly, positioning him as a promising future prospect in the pros.
