The Colorado Buffaloes under Deion Sanders have been a transformational journey, and that journey isn’t just limited to the field. Coach Prime’s roster last year had everything, from a Heisman story to a story of betrayal by the NFL, as Shedeur was downgraded to the fifth round. Yet, the team still shows resilience and grit despite being in the national spotlight, both good and bad. And for Coach Prime, supporting his players is paramount, with no judgments despite what the media says, and one such player was his prolific wide receiver last year.

Jimmy Horn Jr came to Colorado after spending two full seasons with USF receiving for 959 yards in 2021 and 2022. His career wasn’t that illustrious as one would expect, but his journey from being raised by a single father to achieving a distant dream of attending college is still inspiring. “He’s the first male in the Horn family to get to college. There have been a lot of females, but he’s the first male,” said Jimmy Horn Jr’s father. The same man for whom his son Jimmy Horn Jr is now fighting an uphill battle.

Jimmy Horn Sr, himself, being a track and field athlete, raised his son by instilling the same athleticism in him. The journey came with its own challenges after Jimmy Horn Sr’s divorce, but the Horn Sr took those challenges intending to get Horn Jr into college. And that dream finally got fulfilled when USF came calling after Horn Jr’s standout performances in high school (736 yards and 42 catches). However, little did Horn Jr know that his father would be unable to witness his college football journey firsthand.

In 2021, Horn Sr was incarcerated on multiple drug-related charges, with an additional 87 months’ sentence coming in last year. Ever since then, Horn Sr is in jail, and his son is fighting a battle to free his father. Pasha Baker, the Chief Executive Officer at Goldsboro West Side Community Historical Association, who also runs many social campaigns, has started a petition along with Jimmy Horn Jr, urging people to register their support to free Horn Sr. Pasha posted the update on her Instagram story along with a picture of Horn Sr with her.

“Please fill out the form to give Jimmy Horn Sr. a second chance!” Wrote Pasha Baker, tagging Jimmy Horn Jr. Notably, Pasha is also based in Sanford, Florida, and earlier celebrated Horn Jr’s graduation as he made it to the NFL on her IG Story. As for Horn Sr, he is currently housed in a prison outside Denver, which was closer to Horn Jr at Boulder, although Horn Jr now plays for the Carolina Panthers. About his days at Colorado, it wasn’t easy to cope without his father for Jimmy Horn Jr, but he had Coach Prime as his “father figure,” whom he is now thanking immensely.

Jimmy Horn Jr sends a message of gratitude to Coach Prime

Coach Prime has been a vocal supporter of freeing Jimmy Horn Sr and also had urged publicly in a video urging the judge to show some “mercy.” Moreover, the Buffs’ head coach was also present at the final hearing when Horn Sr was sentenced and also assured Horn Sr of taking care of his son. Undoubtedly, these gestures make Coach Prime the rarest of rare coaches who have a lasting influence off the field, too. And Jimmy Horn Jr has expressed his gratitude for Coach Prime and all these gestures.

“I say playing for Coach Prime, he’s running the program more like a boy, the man type of deal. You’re going to come in there a certain way, you’re going to come out a certain way. But at the end of the day, he still wants you to be the same person that you came in as, but he’s just gonna add on to a certain characteristic that you need in life,” said Jimmy Horn Jr on July 16th.

Coach Prime and Jimmy Horn Jr’s relationship is a testament to how head coaches can shape the lives of players in more ways than one can imagine. It’s never easy not to have your guardian figure around, and at the time, getting support from none other than one of the biggest names in football, who takes out time for you, becomes a pivotal moment. Now wonder if the guy excelled at Colorado, and if not for his injury in the 2024 season, Horn Jr might have made way earlier into the NFL draft.