Following Jimmy Horn's breathtaking afternoon of football in Boca Raton — one that teased his vast potential, while reminding observers he has still barely scratched the surface — teammates and coaches are still gushing over the USF sophomore wide receiver.
As the Bulls (1-4) prepare for Saturday afternoon's road game against the No. 24-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats (4-1), the next tough test on a schedule ranked No. 25 nationally according to College Football Playoff metrics, Horn's career performance (eight catches, 180 yards, two touchdowns) against the East Carolina Pirates established him as USF's most fearsome offensive weapon.
"Pretty much when Jimmy steps onto the field, he's always going to be the fastest player on that field,'' quarterback Gerry Bohanon said.
"Jimmy has that change of direction,'' head coach Jeff Scott said. "He's going full speed, he puts that foot in the ground, then he goes in the other direction. That's a quality the great ones have.''
"He has a ton of upside — a ton,'' offensive coordinator Travis Trickett said. "He's working hard at it. He's going to be really, really good.''
For a young performer who's prepping for just his 17th college game, Horn is pretty good right now. In his USF career, he is averaging 15.3 yards every time he touches the ball. He has touchdown receptions of 91 and 80 yards, plus an 89-yard kickoff return score. The 91-yarder ranks as the third-longest in program history, the 80-yarder, which occured against Cincinnati, is the longest play ever by a Bulls freshman. When running for the Bulls, he puts the jet in jet sweep.
The Bulls had a season-high 11 explosive plays (15 yards or greater) against ECU.
Horn had six of them as he posted 104 yards after the catch and averaged 22.5 yards per catch. The game marked the third career 100-yard receiving game for the player that posted 108 yards and a touchdown vs. Cincinnati last year.
"If Jimmy was lining up against me in a game, I would need that mindset of locking in and playing with good technique, good feet,''cornerback Aamaris Brown said. "Because if he catches you slipping, it's over with.''
Horn (5-foot-9, 174 pounds), a star on Sanford Seminole High's unbeaten Class 8A state champions who also captured four track and field medals, possessed unparalleled physical skills when he was recruited.
The difference now is Horn's mental approach.
"I feel way better as a player and the game has slowed down for me a lot,'' Horn said. "When I was a freshman, I just went out there and played. But now I'm watching a lot of film, looking at the defensive back's hips, looking for the details. And I think that has made a big difference for me.''
USF's coaches have noticed that difference.
"Obviously, it made a huge difference to have Jimmy Horn and Xavier Weaver back in our lineup (after both where among the Bulls top four receivers that missed the game at Louisville with injuries),'' Trickett said. "We're also still missing Ajou Ajou with injury and I thought he was going to be different (with his talent)."We have a next-man up mentality. What's frustrating is if we had a full boat, it would be really fun to see what we can do. We just have to keep them healthy and keep putting them in the right positions to succeed. That's one thing Jimmy Horn is doing well. He's understanding the route plans and all the little things. He's working very hard at that.''
Scott, who coached elite receivers such as Sammy Watkins, DeAndre Hopkins, Mike Williams, Hunter Renfrow and Ray Ray McCloud at Clemson, said Horn has the opportunity to reach the highest level of college football.
"He has great top-end speed and great hands,'' Scott said. "He's one of our top playmakers. It's hard to drive the ball 10 or 12 plays for a touchdown, so if you can get 91 yards on one play, that's the kind of big-play threat that Jimmy brings.
"It's very important to Jimmy. Just seeing his maturity and preparation from where it was a year ago, he has come a long way.''
Scott said the approach of many young receivers is simply wanting to know what they should do on a route. Horn has taken his preparation to another level.
"Jimmy wants to know, 'All right, what kind of coverage are they going to be in? Is the guy playing outside leverage or inside leverage?' '' Scott said. "It's like going from pre-Algebra to Algebra I to Algebra II. He asks questions in meetings. He plays hard on the field. He's on his way.''
And once Horn finds that way, with a burst of speed, he's liable to be gone.
"I've been hungry to get back on the field (after being limited in two straight games),'' Horn said. "I had a good feeling (against ECU) that I was going to go out and play well. I was hungry and that was building up inside of me.
"I didn't like sitting there and not being able to help my team. I wanted to get back out there because I knew I could make an impact.''
A big impact.
"If you get Jimmy the ball, he will do the rest,'' Bohanon said. "He's the fastest guy out there. He knows it. Everybody knows it. It makes my job easier. I love the talent of that kid. But even more, I love his desire to get better. When a guy with that much talent is always working to get better, big things are going to happen.''
