Northside TE Horton Pledges To JMU
Zach Horton was able to see it.
Before the Northside (Roanoke) tight end committed to James Madison this past Saturday, the Dukes showed him all the ways they envision him contributing in the years to come.
And having a current NFL player to showcase as the primary example only added intrigue for Horton, he said. According to Horton, JMU tight ends coach Grant Cain had prepared clips of former starting tight end Dylan Stapleton, who inked an undrafted free agent contract with the Houston Texans last month, to share.
“On a Zoom call, we watched film of how they used [Stapleton],” Horton said. “And how they use their tight ends is lined up on the line right next to the tackle. You’ll see them in the slot and in the backfield as an H-back in motion. You’ll see them all around the field, that’s for sure, and they had the right guy to do that last year. We watched film of him and he’s one heck of a player.”
Horton said he’s excited the Dukes expect their tight ends to be versatile. He considers himself an all-around athlete capable of filling those roles.
The 6-foot-4, 231-pounder was an All-Blue Ridge District first-team tight end choice and a Virginia High School League All-Region 3D second-team selection at the position as a junior. Horton thrived at defensive end for Northside, too, proving his athleticism while racking up 93 tackles, 28 tackles for loss and 15 sacks to earn Co-Blue Ridge District Defensive Player of the Year honors.
“Throughout this whole process JMU has been real good to me and has always kept in contact with me,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of Zoom calls over this whole time period, and not only did they recruit me for football, but I felt like I was one of them as family, so they treated me very well.”
He said offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery was his lead recruiter, but after initial interactions that Cain took over and the two were able to develop great trust with each other.
“And then with Coach [Curt] Cignetti, we talked once in a while,” Horton said, “but me and Coach Cain have a really good relationship built.”
Horton earned 19 offers from schools in the FBS and FCS, though, he said he narrowed his 19 opportunities down to four – JMU, Furman, Richmond and Virginia Military Institute – before pledging to the Dukes. Some others to offer included Army, Coastal Carolina, Elon, Navy and Villanova.
Rivals.com lists Horton as a three-star prospect.
“You know, [JMU] was my fifth offer and when I got this offer it wasn’t like the other four that I had,” Horton said. “I was very excited. And right when I got it, I called my mom, my dad and my brother.”
Horton said he’s familiar with players on the Dukes’ roster also, having grown up in the same area of the state as quarterback Jacob Knight, a Cave Spring alum, and 2020 recruiting class tight end Kelly Mitchell, a Hidden Valley product. Horton said he was able to speak with those two about their experiences with the school and the coaching staff.
“I just wanted to go to a great program and I felt like I picked the right one,” he said.