This December, Colorado Buffaloes fans will have to stock up on tissues. After all, the end of the year will be emotionally challenging for Deion Sanders’ program. From the Sanders siblings Shedeur and Shilo, dual-threat Travis Hunter and WR Jimmy Horn Jr., will be off to the NFL. Out of them, Horn Jr. has planned for something special. Well, the Buffs fans know how his journey in Boulder has shaped him as a player.

However, other than the program, his humble roots played an important role in making him who he is today. After all, only Jr. knows how difficult it was for him to continue his journey staying away from his two biggest supporters, So, it’s payback time. And what better way to pay tribute than his first and last bowl game appearance?  

The story behind Jimmy Horn Jr.’s special footgear

Horn Jr. gifted some of the best moments in 2024. Remember how he made a name for himself delivering a visual treat in the Buffs home game win against NSDU? His numbers did all the talking. At the end of the game, Horn Jr. came up with 198 receiving yards on 7 receptions and scored a touchdown. And BOOM! This immediately escalated his NIL value. Before entering Week 1, the 21-year-old WR was valued at $212,000. But after his impressive feat, the young WR witnessed a 119 percent hike in NIL valuation amounting to $454,000. Horn Jr.’s heart might have been full of all the accomplishments, but somewhere there must have been a void. That’s because he lost his biggest supporter, his grandmom. The young chap is going to step into the gridiron wearing some special cleats during the Alamo Bowl. 

As Chan’s Customs, the one who makes customized cleats for champions posted on IG, Horn Jr. opted to stick to the black and gold theme. On the cleats, “LAST LAP” is written in bold yellow. The caption of the post read, “Jimmy Horn Jr @j5fleezy custom cleats for Colorado’s Bowl Game Tomorrow. Titled Last Lap, a push toward a goal—one that honors the past, remembers those lost, and perseverance.” It also has the pictures of his grandmother. Since Horn Jr.’s father had been a single parent, the WR’s grandma filled up for his mother’s role.

Sadly, life had other plans. The WR lost his grandma to a horrific car accident, four years ago on September 20. That’s how Horn Jr. thought of curating the hashtags. The cleats have pictures of the player’s grandmom, accompanied by hashtags like “#LLZI,” “LLGranny.” Years later, he was distanced from his father too. 

How Jimmy Horn Jr. is carrying the weight of love and loss

Jimmy Horn Jr.’s father had been incarcerated in Florida on d- – – related charges and was sentenced to 87 months in a Florida state prison facility on August 14. This marks a traumatic chapter of the Buffs’ player’s life and still continues to haunt him. After all, Horn Jr.’s love for football has been implanted within him by his father. Horn Sr. himself played football for Bethune Cookman University and later in Seminole High School.

However, when he couldn’t make it to the NFL, he chose truck driving as a profession and also worked as a barber. Just when Horn Jr. thought of gifting his father a better life, their life hit a setback. And how could Deion see his fellow player in pain? On the Well Off Media page, Coach Prime came up with a heartfelt plea for Jr.’s dad in August. He stated, “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 Buffs HC even assured that Sr. “is truly a different man.” Did the universe respond to the prayers? 

Not yet! But Jimmy Horn Jr. still replays the one last conversation he had with his father before he was taken to the prison. Now that’s the biggest treasure that the WR hoards. He said, “Yeah, I talked to him. I was able to talk to him. But dad, he just got shipped off, he about to get shipped off to the prison so that my last time talking to him before.” Jimmy Horn Jr.’s Bowl game battle isn’t just for victory; it’s a heartfelt tribute to his dad’s strength and his grandma’s love.