Mike Horton (born October 7, 1997) is an American football offensive guard who is a free agent. He played college football for the Auburn Tigers and has also been a member of the Carolina Panthers.
| Personal information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born: | October 7, 1997 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 325 lb (147 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Lakeside (GA) | ||||
| College: | Auburn (2015–2019) | ||||
| Position: | Offensive guard | ||||
| Undrafted: | 2020 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||
| |||||
Early life
editHorton was born in Atlanta, Georgia on October 7, 1996, or 1997.[1][2] He attended Lakeside High School and was ranked a three-star prospect.[3] He was a two-way player at tackle in football and also played basketball and competed in track and field.[4][5] Horton was named a first-team all-region player, was selected to the Semper Fi All-American Bowl, and was ranked by 247Sports as one of the top-60 prospects in the state, additionally being ranked the 23rd-best nationally at his position by ESPN.[5] He received interest from numerous NCAA Division I FBS teams and initially committed to play for the Florida Gators, but later flipped to Auburn.[6][7]
College career
editAs a true freshman at Auburn in 2015, Horton redshirted.[8] The following year, he appeared in 12 games, seeing extensive action as the sixth offensive lineman on the depth chart, often playing as an extra blocker in run formations.[5][9] He started seven games in 2017, mainly as a left guard.[10] Horton moved to right guard in 2018 but didn't have a great transition, ranking 627th out of 836 college lineman according to Pro Football Focus' rankings.[11] He started 12 games as a senior in 2019, finishing his stint at the school with 32 career starts.[5]
Professional career
editCarolina Panthers
editAfter going unselected in the 2020 NFL draft, Horton was signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent.[12] He was released at the final rosters cuts and was afterwards re-signed to the practice squad.[13][14] He was elevated to the active roster as a COVID-19 replacement for their game against the New Orleans Saints, but did not play and returned to the practice squad afterwards.[1][15] He was elevated again for the team's following game against the Atlanta Falcons, but was inactive.[16] He was signed to a reserve/future contract on January 4, 2021.[17]
Horton was released at roster cuts again in 2021, being re-signed to the practice squad soon after.[18][19] He was released from the practice squad on September 14, but was brought back on September 27.[20][21] He was elevated to the active roster for their week 10 game against the Arizona Cardinals, and made his debut in the game, appearing on six special teams snaps, 24% of their total special teams snaps.[22][23] He received another elevation for their game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 16 and appeared on two snaps.[23][24] Horton was elevated for a final time against the New Orleans Saints one week later and played three snaps.[19][23] He thus played in a total of three games in the 2021 season, appearing on 11 snaps.[1] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 10, 2022.[25] Horton was released by the Panthers following the 2022 preseason and was not re-signed to the practice squad.[26]
Arlington Renegades
editHorton was selected in the third round (18th overall) of the offensive line phase of the 2023 XFL Draft by the Arlington Renegades.[26] He made the team's final roster and appeared in all 10 games as a starter, helping them win the 2023 XFL Championship Game over the DC Defenders.[2][27][28] He was not part of the roster after the 2024 UFL dispersal draft on January 15, 2024.[29]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Mike Horton Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ a b "Mike Horton Stats". Pro Football Archives.
- ^ "Michael Horton, 2015 Offensive Guard, Auburn". Rivals.com.
- ^ Thompson, Edgar (February 3, 2015). "Meet Gators offensive tackle recruit Mike Horton". The Baltimore Sun.
- ^ a b c d "Mike Horton". Auburn Tigers.
- ^ Melnick, Andrew (August 1, 2014). "Mike Horton commits to Florida: Gators land 3-Star OT". FanSided.
- ^ Sinor, Wesley (February 4, 2015). "Three-star OT Mike Horton flips from Florida, signs with Auburn". AL.com.
- ^ Matthews, Bryan (April 15, 2016). "Horton loves Auburn 'to my soul'". Rivals.com.
- ^ Vitale, Josh (January 9, 2017). "Auburn's Mike Horton ready to go from 6th offensive lineman to starter in 2017". Opelika-Auburn News.
- ^ Crepea, James (May 10, 2018). "Auburn's most experienced offensive lineman is right guard Mike Horton". AL.com.
- ^ Green, Tom (May 17, 2019). "Mike Horton looks to improve upon right guard role for Auburn". AL.com.
- ^ Weaver, Tim (April 27, 2020). "Panthers agree to terms with 5 linebackers, 17 total undrafted free agents". USA Today.
- ^ Simmons, Myles (September 5, 2020). "Panthers reduce roster to 53 players". Carolina Panthers.
- ^ Simmons, Myles (September 6, 2020). "Panthers announce initial practice squad additions". Carolina Panthers.
- ^ Inabinett, Mark (October 24, 2020). "Carolina Panthers call up Mike Horton". AL.com.
- ^ Simmons, Myles (October 29, 2020). "Week 8 Inactives: Zach Kerr, Russell Okung will not play against Atlanta". Carolina Panthers.
- ^ Weaver, Tim (January 4, 2021). "Panthers extend TE Colin Thompson, sign 14 others to futures contracts". USA Today.
- ^ Rizzuti, Anthony (August 31, 2021). "Panthers cut QB Will Grier". USA Today.
- ^ a b "Mike Horton Transactions & Injuries". sportsforecaster.com.
- ^ Inabinett, Mark (September 14, 2021). "Montravius Adams, Kerryon Johnson back in NFL". AL.com.
- ^ Rizzuti, Anthony (September 27, 2021). "Panthers officially place rookie CB Jaycee Horn on IR". USA Today.
- ^ Inabinett, Mark (November 13, 2021). "Mike Horton in line to make his NFL debut with Carolina on Sunday". AL.com.
- ^ a b c "Mike Horton Career Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ Inabinett, Mark (December 25, 2021). "Daren Bates returns from IR for Atlanta Falcons". AL.com.
- ^ Rizzuti, Anthony (January 12, 2022). "Panthers sign two more players for 2022". USA Today.
- ^ a b Inabinett, Mark (November 16, 2022). "XFL values offensive linemen with Alabama football roots". AL.com.
- ^ Rolfe, Ben (February 12, 2023). "2023 XFL Rosters: Opening Weekend Names Include Josh Gordon, Kalen Ballage, and Paxton Lynch". Pro Football Network.
- ^ McCarthy, JD (May 14, 2023). "Four former Tigers win XFL Championship". USA Today.
- ^ "2024 UFL Team Rosters". TheUFL.com. Retrieved January 20, 2024.