Horton Sets Bar High For Debut Season at Indiana
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Zach Horton has a Big Ten football mountain to climb and if people want to doubt him, stay out of the way.
The Indiana senior tight end transferred from James Madison to make a big first impression on one of college football’s biggest stages. Confidence comes from an All-Sun Belt season that included 27 catches for 275 yards and six touchdowns (only four tight ends nationally caught more TD passes).
Ask Horton about his goals for the upcoming Hoosier season and being average doesn’t make the list.
“I want to stay healthy,” he says. “That’s No. 1. Then, I want to be all-conference again. I set the bar high. I believe in myself. I believe I can do that. I want to help the team to get in a winning position.”
Helping the Hoosiers regain that position means doing the little things that lead to big things.
Blocking tops that list.
IU’s running game under head coach Curt Cignetti demands tight ends block as well as catch passes. Horton is all in.
“Coach Cig is big on if you block, you’ll get the rock,” Horton says. “My sophomore and junior years I blocked a lot and loved it.”
Horton found that love under Cignetti when both were at James Madison. Steady improvement in his first two seasons -- a combined 13 catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns -- led to last year’s break-through performance.
Horton expects more from himself.
“I want to improve as a player. I’m learning more about the defenses we’ll face. I’m understanding coverages better. They’re happening for a reason. Why is that?
“I want to see what I can do on film to correct myself. Do that and try to be a leader. I want to put my voice out there and help put us in the best position.
“I’m still trying to find ways to get comfortable.”
Comfort comes in an offense that produced big numbers in recent years at James Madison (430.2 total yards a game last year, 37.0 points a game in 2022), and if it came against non-Power 5 conference teams, don’t underestimate what it can do against elite competition.
“The coaches are good at finding the mismatches, seeing what the defense does and seeing what their habits are, then attacking those weak areas,” Horton says. “It’s how they put athletes in space. They want to get athletes the ball and allow them to work. They’re really smart, really fundamental.”
That approach is evident in practices as well as games. Cignetti doesn’t like to waste time; he has no use for long practices when shorter is more productive.
“Practices are a lot like games,” Horton says. They are very up-tempo, very upbeat, with fast-paced tempo.
“Other colleges might have three hours of practice. Here, we’re in and out. It’s like an hour and 40 minutes. We do what we need to do. If something’s not working, we fix it.”
IU won’t settle on a starting quarterback until fall camp. Ohio University transfer Kurtis Rourke had the edge after spring practice, with redshirt sophomore Tayven Jackson and true freshman Tyler Cherry right behind him.
“All of them are great,” Horton says. “They’re all smart.
“Kurtis is a great leader. He throws a great ball. He’s very coachable. Tayven has a great arm. So does Cherry. They’re all doing well. (quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri) is doing a great job of getting them ready for the season.”
Developing the chemistry between the quarterbacks and receivers (including tight ends and running backs) remains an offseason priority.
“It takes a while to get used to what everybody does,” Horton says. “(Rourke) has to get used to what the outside receivers and slots and the tight ends do. He has a lot to get used to. He’s picked it up fast. He does a great job of picking up on their habits.”
Offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and offensive line coach/run game coordinator Bob Bostad are working together to boost a running attack that averaged just 120 yards and 3.3 yards per carry last season.
“Everyone is getting on the same page,” Horton says. “The coaches are doing a good job working together. We’re all working our tails off. We still have a lot of work to do.”
A strong group of transfer running backs in Justice Ellison (Wake Forest), Ty Son Lawton (James Madison), Elijah Green (North Carolina) and Kaelon Black (James Madison), complemented by a promising offensive line adds to the run-game optimism.
“They are physical and for their size they are really athletic,” Horton says about the offensive linemen. “They’re strong. They’re learning this offense very fast. It took me a while to learn it. Here, they are really picking it up.”