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When Isaiah Horton transferred to Alabama football, all the Crimson Tide wanted the receiver to do was to be himself.
Horton knows he brings something different to the Alabama receiver room, standing at 6-foot-4, 208 pounds and describing himself as “that big, explosive, down-field threat.” But Horton views himself as more than that. He can “do” intermediate routes. He can run deep routes. He can “just be a great teammate” and do whatever is asked of him.
As Horton prepares for his third game at Alabama, he admits he hasn’t showed off all he can do on the football field.
“I can’t wait to show my speed,” Horton said, clocking himself at 22 mph. “People kind of underestimate it. And I know it’s coming. Just got to stay patient.”
Horton’s production at Alabama is slowly building. He was limited in Alabama’s loss to Florida State with a hip injury, one that coach Kalen DeBoer said didn’t get Horton “back and rolling” until the middle of the Crimson Tide’s 73-0 win against Louisiana Monroe.
But when Horton was “back and rolling” with the Crimson Tide, it didn’t take long for him to show what he could do.
Horton caught three receptions for 51 yards against ULM, including a 29-yard touchdown in which quarterback Ty Simpson rolled out of the pocket to find Horton at the 2-yard line where the receiver toe-tapped and lunged forward for his first Alabama score.
“That big guy that’s got to go up and get it,” Horton said of what Simpson needs out of him as a receiver. “Whenever it’s time to bail out, Zay’s down there somewhere. ‘Go make a play for me, Zay.’ I’ll make that.”
That’s the kind of receiver Simpson needs, DeBoer said. And it’s what makes a receiver like Horton special: someone who is a big target and “quarterback friendly,” who has an intensity and “want to factor” that makes him desirable.
And the more reps Horton gets with Simpson, his former high school 7-on-7 quarterback, the better the offense will become, DeBoer said.
That’s the expectation not only for Horton, but for the receiver room as a whole. Horton is just built differently from the rest of the room.
“We’re elite. We work hard at that,” Horton said. “That’s what we work on. We take pride in what we do. We’re receivers. We catch the ball.”
Alabama continues the 2025 season Saturday, Sept. 13 at home against Wisconsin. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT on ABC.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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