BLOOMINGTON – Indiana football tight end Zach Horton did not receive a single Power Five offer as part of Lord Botetourt High School's 2021 signing class.
On his second attempt on the recruiting tour, everything was different.
The James Madison tight end was among a list of teams that included Ohio State, Maryland, Virginia, NC State and Georgia Tech when he entered the transfer portal in December. He kept an open mind in the portal, but had a hard time getting past a question.
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“Why now? I had a little scratch on my shoulder,” Horton said during an interview with The Herald-Times in April. “I felt like I played the same way, but that little bit of experience made the difference. I think , I should have looked at my entire career.”
The loyalty he felt toward Curt Cignetti and the offensive staff that recruited him made his decision to join them in the Big Ten an easy one.
“He gave me a chance,” Horton said. “It was one of the deciding factors, I wanted to thank him and continue to follow him.”
Horton signed with Indiana on Christmas Eve along with Nick Kidwell, Aiden Fisher, James Carpenter, Jailin Walker, Kaelon Black and Tyler Stephens, a day after playing for the Dukes in the Armed Forces Bowl.
According to Horton, this group played a “huge role” in JMU’s success as it moved to the FBS level.
“Just look at the success they’ve had,” Horton said.
“Whoever blocks gets the stone”
After Horton had a career-best performance last season with three catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns against South Alabama, Cignetti told reporters that the tight end was playing as well as anyone on JMU's roster.
“Zach Horton has been as consistent and performed at a high level from game to game and game to game as anyone on this football team,” Cignetti said. “He put together outstanding games, games one through five.”
The effusive praise surprised Horton.
“He never expressed it to me,” Horton said, laughing. “I was actually surprised when he said that. It surprised my whole family. That can’t be the right coach.”
Horton's role in the offense only increased from there. Towards the end of the season, he had four games with multiple receptions, the longest such streak of his career. He finished the season with 27 catches for 275 yards and six touchdowns.
According to Pro Football Focus, he averaged 6.7 yards after catch, forced eight missed tackles, and 11 of his catches resulted in first downs. He played 906 snaps, 739 of which were on offense, the most of any JMU player.
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These consistent goals have been Horton's biggest sign of earning the coaching staff's hard-earned trust.
“There's a saying if you block you get the rock, that's exactly what happened,” Horton said. “I remember my sophom*ore year when I barely got any touches, but all I did was put in a lot of effort and block. Junior year.” came around and they started rewarding me more, which I was very grateful for.
The season ended with Horton taking home first-team All-Sun Belt honors.
“We’re making pretty good progress”
Horton concluded his camp with the first-team offense during the IU spring game.
He had four catches for 27 yards, with three of those catches coming on an extended drive late in the second quarter that ended with quarterback Kurtis Rourke throwing the go-ahead touchdown to Andison Coby.
The Hoosiers' offense totaled 442 yards, but the encouraging performance was no surprise to Horton.
“We’re doing pretty well right now with this group we have, but there’s still a lot of room for improvement,” Horton said. “I think we’re a pretty good match.”
Horton, who is IU's most experienced tight end with 32 appearances (18 starts), could play an important role in the offense this fall given his experience and versatility. Last year he moved around the offense with 26 snaps in the backfield, 519 inline snaps, 160 snaps in the slot and 34 out wide.
He could act as an important security blanket for Rourke as he works to establish chemistry with a group of experienced players that also includes nine other transfers.
“Our offense is built to love tight ends as much as they love running backs and wide receivers,” Rourke said after the scrimmage. “It’s about taking what the defense gives us. In our offense, the tight ends will be open.”
Horton's strategy is the same as at JMU.
“I just do what I’m told,” Horton said with a big smile. “I’m just worried about winning games.”
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek Click here to read all of his coverage.
