The Buffaloes’ wide receiver room is now stable due to Jimmy Horn Jr. After scoring nine touchdowns in high school, Horn Jr. joined the Boulder team last year and has continued to be a touchdown machine for the CU Buffs. Over the past year, Jimmy Horn Jr. has improved his stats and secured $120k worth of NIL deals. He even renovated his childhood home with a fancy fireplace and other upgrades with his newfound success. However, the wide receiver didn’t have it handed to him.

His father proudly mentioned that Horn Jr. was the “first male member in the family to attend college.” From there, his exceptional talent began to draw more attention. And here’s a deeper dive into his challenging upbringing. 

Jimmy Horn Jr.’s supportive dad

Jimmy Horn Jr. hails from Sanford, Florida, and has even mentioned that he feels like “the area is cursed.” Despite the hardship, he graduated from Seminole High School in that area with impressive stats and even caught the attention of Coach Prime when joining the Buffs.

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However, Jimmy’s high school years weren’t without difficulties. His parents, Jimmy Horn Sr. and Kendra Lewis, divorced, with Jimmy Sr. taking on the primary parenting role. Horn Sr., a former Seminole High football player, never reached the NFL. Thus, he went on to push Jimmy Jr. hard to achieve those dreams. Even though he had other jobs like a barber and truck driver, his primary goal was to help his son become a professional football player.

However, the respectable father faced legal troubles and was jailed. Meanwhile, Jimmy Jr.’s mother, Kendra Lewis, also appears to be absent from his life, and he has no known siblings. There’s sometimes confusion with former NFL wide receiver Joe Horn, but the two are not related.  Despite these challenges, Jimmy has found a positive father figure in Coach Prime, who provides the support and guidance he can. 

WR discovers a father figure in Coach Prime

Jimmy Horn Jr. was raised solely by his father, whom he holds in high respect and love. “You can never talk bad on my pops, like say he’s a bad parent…. Every time I get on the phone with him, we talk about football a little bit, but mainly it’s just about life,” Horn Jr. said about his dad. His father is in prison, but that hasn’t stopped Jimmy from shining further.

Horn Jr. first captured the spotlight in a nail-biting match against TCU, contributing 11 catches and one touchdown to secure a 45-42 victory. After the game, he called his dad, who reportedly spoke with Coach Prime about his son’s achievement.

The next significant moment came during a challenging game against CSU. Deion Sanders motivated Horn Jr. with the team trailing by saying, “He [dad] is watching you right now. He wants to clap in front of all his different inmates because he believes in his son.” This encouragement seemed to work magic as Horn Jr.’s 45-yard touchdown sent Folsom Field into a frenzy, helping the team win. Looks like both Deion Sanders and Jimmy Horn Sr. are crucial and respected figures in Horn Jr.’s life.