“You leave here as a man”: Jimmy Horn Jr. sends a strong message for Deion Sanders’ Colorado following departure for NFL

Jimmy Horn Jr. was one of the top wide receivers for the Colorado Buffaloes over the last few seasons. But his time in Boulder has finished, and he is now focusing on his NFL career.

Horn Jr. featured in a video produced by the Buffaloes program on those players who were picked in the 2025 NFL draft. In one part, he reflected on his time with Colorado and gave a message to those entering the program in the future.

"You will learn a lot. You'll leave here a man." (0:40)

The video was posted on Sunday.

Horn Jr. came into the Buffaloes program at the same time as Deion Sanders did, before the 2023 season. However, unlike Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, he was not brought into the program due to playing in Sanders' previous program.

Horn Jr. spent the first two seasons of his career with the South Florida Bulls, where he put up decent numbers on a team that struggled to win games. After his transfer to Colorado, Horn Jr. put up similar numbers, with the 2023 season being his best, recording 567 yards from 58 receptions and scoring six touchdowns.

He would spend the final weeks of the 2024 season out with an injury.

During his time with Colorado, Horn Jr. fully developed into the player that he is today. Without making the move onto Deion Sanders' side, there is a chance that he would not have been able to be drafted as high as he was.

Who was Jimmy Horn Jr. drafted by?

Jimmy Horn Jr. entered the 2025 NFL draft and was widely predicted to be an undrafted free agent (according to NFL Draft Buzz). However, Horn would be picked in the sixth round (208th pick by the Carolina Panthers).

Being a sixth-round pick seems appropriate for him, especially in a class that was dominated by wide receivers who saw a lot more action than he did in college.

Now, with the Panthers, Horn Jr. joins a wide receiver room that is led by veteran Adam Thielen. He was not the only wide receiver the Panthers took in the 2025 NFL draft, with the team using their first-round pick on Tetairoa McMillan from the Arizona Wildcats.

This stacked set of wide receivers may mean that Jimmy Horn Jr. may have to wait before he can play in the NFL.

About the author

Ben Tredinnick is a journalist who covers college football and college basketball at Sportskeeda who is currently studying for a masters in Data Science. His degree in Psychology has helped him gain an in-depth understanding of the minds of coaches.

Ben has been involved in sports writing since 2022 and covered the NFL previously. His strengths include providing in-depth profiles of athletes and coaches, with a particular focus on development, and looking at which teams could be in the hunt for today's college stars.

Ben enjoys following college sports more than the NBA or NFL because there is more variation in terms of playstyles. The tournaments are often more competitive than the major leagues, and due to the constant turnover of players, there are rarely any "superteams" in college sports.

He prioritizes research, looks at multiple sources and publications to make sure he gets the full picture of the story before writing. He tries not to write from a one-sided perspective to allow the reader to be able to make their mind up on their own.

A Texas Longhorns fan, as well as a massive New York Giants fan, some of his favorite college players of all time are Arch Manning, Tim Tebow and Reggie Bush.

When he is not working, Ben enjoys watching films (especially Godzilla) and spending time with his cat.

Know More

Panthers Nation! Check out the latest Carolina Panthers Schedule and dive into the Panthers Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Edited by Victor R. Lopez M.