Highly Sought After WR Isaiah Horton Talks Busy Month of June, Looming Decision
Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Oakland Wide Receiver Isaiah Horton is one of the premier pass-catchers in all of the nation. The 6'3", 190lbs prospect holds over 20 Division 1 offers, and he is down to four schools, including Alabama, Florida, Miami, and Tennessee. A decision looms, and the coveted prospect goes in-depth on each finalist with SI All-American.
June was filled with visits to each of his four finalists, and the trips have allowed him to start working towards announcing a public commitment on July 28th.
Horton started the month in Gainesville on an unofficial visit to check out Dan Mullen's program.
"Florida was a great place to visit," Horton said. "Coach Billy Gonzales was wonderful. He is good people. As soon as I got on campus, they greeted me with a lot of love, and I appreciated that. Coach Dan Mullen, is a great coach as well. His attitude towards me was good, and that made me feel good because it was my first visit coming off of COVID, so I was kind of nervous. As soon as I got on campus, my nerves went away because it was what I expected it to be."
Following the visit, Horton confirmed to Brandon Carroll of SI's All Gators that Florida was still the leader in the clubhouse. Now, that is not the case, as each team is essentially neck and neck.
"I would say everybody is kind of equal now that I got to visit everybody," Horton told SI All-American. "They were the leader at the time before I hadn't visited everybody, but now that I visited each school, everybody is at an equal level now."
Staying in the Sunshine State, Horton took an official visit to Miami on the weekend of June 11th.
"Miami was a great visit," Horton said. "I loved it. Just as soon as I got off the plane, the atmosphere was great. People outside of Miami were asking me if I was a college player at Miami. It was a lot of love outside the campus. Then, when I got on the campus, it was even better. Coach (Rob) Likens, Coach Dub, Coach Manny Diaz, were all great people and great to meet. I enjoyed the rest of the coach as well. Coach Cooney was another one as well. My parents also loved Miami a lot too. That was a plus for me too because they enjoyed it. That visit went very well."
"I have been to Bama quite a few times when I was a freshman and sophomore, so this was kind of a refresher coming off of COVID," Horton said. "It was also a good visit. I enjoyed that visit as well. My parents enjoyed that visit. Talking with Coach Saban was amazing. It was like a dream come true because not everybody gets that opportunity to talk to Nick Saban. Just talking to him, he gave me a lot of wisdom, which I appreciated, and it wasn't all about football. He asked me questions about myself, how am I doing, and stuff like that. It wasn't just about, 'oh, you are a good player,' and that is what I really appreciated. We just sat down and had a genuine conversation."
Horton took two unofficial visits to Tennessee during the month, and the new Tennessee made up for lost time during those visits.
"Coach Heupel is a great coach, wonderful coach," Horton said. "That first impression was wonderful for me. He is very laid back. Not too much, not too little. He is another coach I had a genuine conversation with. I didn't have to feel nervous around him or anything. I didn't feel like he was sugarcoating anything with me. Also, Coach Kodi Burns and Coach (Kelsey) Pope are great receiver coaches as well. I spent most of my second visit with them in Coach Burns's office going over plays and films. He showed me where I would be on the team at X receiver and how I would be used. We spent at least two hours watching film."
The time Horton spent with Burns during the visit impressed him and made him feel like a priority for the Vols first-year wide receiver coach.
"Definitely," Horton said about that. "There were other kids there doing the same thing I was doing, and he sat down and took the time to explain the whole offense to me. Not just my position but the entire offense. I really appreciated that a lot."
With trips to each of his finalists in the rearview and his high school season quickly approaching, what is next for Horton?
"I should be committed at the end of this month on July 28th," Horton said.
With each school having a chance to land him, Horton will focus on specific aspects in the next two weeks to find the perfect school to call home.
"Basically, what school can provide a good afterlife for me because football doesn't last forever," he said. "A school that I love the environment and atmosphere of. Also, depending on my major, I am still battling between Business and Sports Management, so my major is big for me. Also, the relationships with the coaches because I am going to be there for the next three to four years, so I want to get along with the receivers coach very well and to make sure my family enjoys it."