With CU Buffs debut approaching, Jimmy Horn Jr. shining in camp – The Denver Post

Asked to go to the podium for a post-practice interview Monday, Colorado’s Jimmy Horn Jr. missed an opportunity to work with an all-time great.

Luckily, Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Terrell Owens is planning to spend the whole week in Boulder to hang with the Buffaloes.

“Having T.O. here, he actually gets to sit and observe and watch us play and then he gets to criticize our game, but in a good way and help us out in a good way,” Horn said.

A six-time Pro Bowler, Owens is third in NFL history in career receiving yards and receiving touchdowns and eighth in receptions. He’s also a friend of CU head coach Deion Sanders, a Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback.

For Horn, having Owens around will be an opportunity to build on what has already been a good offseason.

“Love Jimmy Horn,” CU receivers coach Brett Bartolone said. “He’s a pro about the game just like (Xavier Weaver) is. Football is very, very, very important to him. He studies the game well. Obviously you see him out there, he’s one of those guys he’ll take a short one and then he’ll finish and he’ll burst. He’ll separate from the defense and score a touchdown for us. I know he’s gonna bring it every day. His effort is there. … He’s going to do a lot of good things for us this year.”

One of the many speedy receivers recruited by the Buffs this offseason, the 5-foot-10, 170-pound Horn came to CU after two seasons at South Florida. After catching 30 passes for 408 yards and a touchdown in 2021, he caught 37 passes for 551 yards and three touchdowns last year.

Horn got to CU in January and was one of the stars of spring before a foot injury in April. In YouTube videos of practice this month, Horn has routinely been seen making big plays.

“It’s still bothering me a little bit but it ain’t nothing to it because I’ve been getting treatment and stuff on it,” he said. “I’m gonna come back. I’ll be good by TCU week. I’m about 95 (percent) right now; trying to get to 100 but you will never play a college game 100%.”

Horn might still feel his injury a bit, but overall he has settled into life as a Buff.

“From the spring, I’m more comfortable out here,” he said. “I can express myself on the field better. In spring, I was more tensed up, like I just had to prove a point. But really, all I gotta do is to be myself on the field and play how I play instead of trying to do more than what I need to do. Just do what I do.”

It has helped that Horn has Weaver by his side again. The two were teammates at USF the past two years, with Weaver actually being the Bulls’ leading receiver. Now both are aiming to make their mark with the Buffs.

“We know what we’re here for,” Horn said. “When I first met Zay, it was my freshman year. We just clicked then and every time I play with him, we complement each other in the game in certain ways. It’s just hard to stop us on the field together. Having Shedeur (Sanders) as our quarterback, we both will get an opportunity to shine even more.”

Horn is aiming to shine from the slot, where his speed can create problems for the defense — even when he’s not getting the ball.

“We’re going to attract attention at a couple of spots and with the pace that we play at and with the space that we align out on the field, it forces the defense to make a decision,” Bartolone said. “They’ve got to defend either the run or the pass, but they’ve also got to choose, OK, is it Jimmy Horn this week or is it Xavier Weaver on the other side? Or maybe it’s Travis Hunter over here outside. There’s a lot of weapons that we have, and those are tough conversations for the defense to have.”

Horn can’t wait to see the group come together. In addition to himself, Weaver and Hunter, the Buffs have 6-foot-4 Javon Antonio, 5-9 speedster Willie Gaines, athletic freshman Omarion Miller and more.

“We’ve got SRTs, Hellcats, we’ve got all that; whatever you’re looking for, we’ve got it,” he said. “Our whole receiving room, everybody’s got their own game and we all complement each other in a good way. So it’s hard to stop us.”

Still, Horn said he won’t miss his next opportunity to learn more from an NFL legend.

“I’m gonna catch (Owens) for the rest of the week,” Horn said, “and get some work in after practice.”

Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.