Husky Roster Review: Kai Horton Is UW's Human Spare Tire

Quarterback Kai Horton finds himself in a strange situation, indeed.

He's come all the way from New Orleans to finish up his fifth and final season of college football at the University of Washington and the best scenario for everyone involved, except him, is that he won't play.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Tulane transfer is like that carton of milk in the refrigerator with the expiration date fast approaching.

Will the Huskies open him up or not?

Horton, originally from Carthage, Texas, was brought in to back up designated sophomore starter Demond Williams Jr. this coming season, plus give true freshmen quarterbacks Dash Beierly and Kini McMillan plenty of time to get acclimated at the college level.

If Horton goes out to run the huddle for any length of time, it most likely will mean something bad happened to the UW's No. 1 guy who likes to run around a lot.

Nobody in Montlake wants that.

So Horton goes about his business as this spare tire kept in the trunk or that oxygen mask tucked away under the overhead bin.

Safety-precaution stuff. Emergency option. A just-in-case guy in waiting.

“I was just told I was going to come here and compete, have a chance to get better, have a chance to play at the next level,” Horton said during spring football. “Like I said, I love everything that they do, the offensive system they’ve got in. I know coach [Jedd] Fisch has a lot of connections. At the end of the day, if it’s meant to be, it’ll be."

Kai Horton shakes hands with a teammate. | Skylar Lin Visuals

This is one in a series of articles -- going from 0 to 99 on the Husky roster -- examining what each scholarship player and leading walk-on did this past spring and what to expect from them going forward.

Horton comes to Seattle having played in 13 games and started four times at Tulane, including the 2023 Military Bowl, a 41-20 loss to Virginia Tech. He opened the postseason game held in Annapolis, Maryland because season-long Green Wave starter Michael Pratt opted out to preserve himself for the NFL Draft.

In his last meaningful game outing, Horton completed 13 of 20 for 119 yards and ran for a 6-yard touchdown in a game that got out of hand in the third quarter.

Earlier that season, Horton was pressed into starting service against Ole Miss and and Southern Miss as an injury replacement for Pratt, and split the games.

He completed 15 of 37 passes for 231 yards and a score in a 37-20 loss to Ole Miss in New Orleans and bounced back with a 12-for-19, 186-yard, 2-TD performance in a 21-3 victory over Southern Miss on the road.

His first college start came as a freshman in 2021, when Horton, as an injury fill-in for Pratt, was sent out to face No. 2-ranked Cincinnati. He connected on 7 of 16 passes for 79 yards and threw a pair of interceptions in a 31-20 loss at home.

Kai Horton delivers a pass during a spring drill. | Skylar Lin Visuals

Horton, however, does have a history of momentarily making magic happen against long odds.

As a sophomore in 2022, he a third-string quarterback sent onto the field against Houston after the Green Wave's top two guys were lost for the day with injuries and helped Tulane pull out a 27-24 overtime victory on the road. He hit on 11 of 21 passes for 113 yards and 3 touchdowns.

So here he is in Seattle, wondering what comes next.

KAI HORTON FILE

What he's done: Horton has seen his college career ebb and flow. While he has those 13 appearances and four starts on his ledger, he played in just one game in 2024 and threw a solitary pass as Tulane played two guys ahead of him. His career stats: 64 completions in 123 attempts for 833 yards and 6 scores.

Starter or not: Again, he's done it. However, the circumstances won't be ideal for the Huskies should Horton have to replace Williams and run the show again in a concentrated manner. A handful of snaps would be optimal for everyone involved.

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