The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Horn heeded father’s advice to play corner, not receiver
Jaycee Horn’s family is filled with receivers.
Each of his siblings played the position. His father is none other than Joe Horn, the longtime New Orleans Saints receiver who wrapped up his career with the Falcons. When it came to Jaycee, however, his father thought he’d be better on defense.
Whatever Joe saw in Jaycee turned out to be a great decision for the family. Jaycee, who wrapped up a three-year collegiate career at South Carolina, now has a chance to be a firstround selection at cornerback.
“What’s crazy is my dad kind of pushed me that way just because of the aggression I had growing up,” Horn said. “My ball skills, he always harped on, (saying) if I could do that at the cornerback position then I could make a lot of money. We sometimes go back and forth about it. I pick on my dad, telling him he wouldn’t be able to get open on me. We go back and forth a little bit.”
Growing up in Alpharetta, Horn realized early that he had a target on his back because of his famous father. He recalled other players in the area hoping to get the best of him, whether it was at a practice, camp or game.
The level of competition he faced regularly helped create the demeanor he plays with, most often seen when he’s jawing with opposing receivers between plays.
“Ever since park ball we took football real serious,” Horn said. “The stars and the rankings didn’t mean anything in Georgia. Everywhere you go, you have people at your neck competing. Even with me being a high-name recruit coming out of high school, I just loved knowing people coming at my neck, with me being Joe Horn’s son. I love people wanting to knock me out because of that. That’s where the chirpiness comes from.”
Horn was a four-star prospect out of high school and was recruited by numerous major programs around the country. When Alabama coach Nick Saban told him the SEC is the closest thing he’ll see to the NFL in college, Horn decided he would choose a program in that particular conference.
But instead of Alabama, Horn, who briefly was committed to Tennessee, chose to attend South Carolina, where he excelled on former coach Will Muschamp’s defense. Horn, at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, is considered one of the top cornerbacks in this year’s NFL draft, alongside Virginia Tech’s Caleb Farley and Alabama’s Patrick Surtain.
NFL Media draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah considers Horn the No. 23 overall prospect and has him being taken with the 15th selection by the New England Patriots in his most recent mock draft.
“Horn is a big, physical cornerback with plenty of speed and instincts,” Jeremiah detailed in his most recent rankings. “He’s physical with his hands to consistently reroute in press coverage. He is fluid when he opens up and can run/stay in phase with vertical routes. His short-area quickness is good for a big cornerback. However, he has some bad habits to break in off coverage. He catches and grabs too much. He will draw a lot of flags at the next level if that doesn’t get cleaned up. He does do a good job of locating and playing the ball downfield. He has outstanding hands to finish with the ball.”
Horn opted out late in the 2020 season and said NFL teams have asked him why he reached that decision. For Horn, it was simple and something he would do again if faced with the same circumstance. His grandparents, aunt and siblings all contracted COVID-19, with his aunt, Jeniquez Beene-long, considered to be at high risk with the novel coronavirus. Horn wanted to spend as much time with his family as he could considering the severity of what transpired, specifically with his aunt. Since initially contracting COVID-19, Jeniquez Beenelong died because of complications from the virus.
Some South Carolina fans didn’t react kindly to Horn’s decision to opt out, which bothered him at the time. Deciding to opt out was not a decision Horn took lightly.
“It was extremely tough,” he said. “I’m a real headstrong guy. Not too much shakes me. I can deal with all the badmouthing from the fans from losing and stuff like that. But when I opted out it was mentally tough, just them calling me a quitter and them questioning my integrity. Losing my aunt at the same time, it was frustrating and had me mad.
“It was kind of a little Twitter war or whatever. I was emotional just because no human should act like that toward another human if you don’t know the whole story. I just lost my aunt and you’re over there talking about football. So that was frustrating. I fought through it. I’m in a better place now and I can’t wait to get back on the field.”
Over the past few months, Horn has specifically trained to test well at South Carolina’s Pro Day. His focus will now shift toward practicing certain techniques cornerbacks are asked to do more in the NFL compared with college.
Horn, like his father, doesn’t lack confidence on the field. He’s entering the league a big believer in what he can bring to an NFL franchise.
“I feel like I’m the best defensive player in the draft,” Horn said. “I’m versatile. I got the size, I got the speed, I’m athletic. I faced every receiver body type from (Florida’s) Kyle Pitts to (Mississippi’s) Elijah Moore to (Alabama’s) Devonta Smith. I just feel I’m the best defensive player in the draft.”