> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # 'A True Competitor': How Tory Horton Ascended From Nevada to Seahawks Draft Choice - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/a-true-competitor-inside-tory-hortons-ascent-from-nevada-seahawks-draft-choice/ - Published: 2025-05-30T14:44:12.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T05:37:17.000Z - Author: Corbin Smith - Tags: Seahawks, Tory Horton \[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1920"\] ![ The Seattle Seahawks selected Colorado State receiver Tory Horton in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Horton previously had two 1,000-yard seasons for the Rams. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/revised-twitter-template--287-29-format-original-1.png) The Seattle Seahawks selected Colorado State receiver Tory Horton in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Horton previously had two 1,000-yard seasons for the Rams. \[/caption\] LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Recently hired as the new inside receivers and tight end coach at USC, Chad Savage began his journey to the Trojans as a graduate assistant for the Nevada Wolfpack in 2019, tasked with the job of finding receiver recruits for then-coach Jay Norvell’s program. Working with other members of the coaching staff, Savage would receive a list of recruits to scan over, watching film and quickly jumping to the next player in what some would view as a tedious process. Digging in deep on his latest set of recruits, one player stood head and shoulders above the rest, as Washington Union High School (Fresno, Calif.) standout Tory Horton wowed with eye-popping catches and playmaking ability on offense as well as special teams, immediately becoming a coveted prospect. Seeing a special talent and not wanting to miss out on the opportunity to bring Horton to Reno, Savage quickly messaged the young man asking for a high school transcript, and once he received it, he passed it up the chain of command. Not long after, the Wolfpack landed the three-star recruit as he signed his letter of intent, choosing to attend Nevada over Boise State, Montana, and Northern Colorado. Five years later, following a winding road that included following Norvell and Savage to Colorado State as a transfer in 2022, Horton developed into the NFL prospect that Savage believed he could become after first laying eyes on his high school film. Even after missing a large chunk of his senior season due to injury, his hard work meticulously sharpening his skills and mastering the mental aspect of the game culminated in a fifth round selection by the Seattle Seahawks, bringing both he and his position coach full circle from when they first crossed paths half a decade earlier. “My task was at the time just comb through, jump forward, and look at recruits,” Savage recalled on a recent Locked On Seahawks podcast. “And I combed through our jump forward list and I see Tory Horton's name and woah, his tape jumps off and he caught our attention. And so I reached out, got Tori's transcript and then I brought it to the table. And so that was back in 2019 and I actually went through that. I sent Tori that screenshot the other day from back in 2019 as a G A.” Interestingly, despite playing a central role in recruiting the player, Savage never got the chance to work with Horton directly at Nevada. Before the ascending receiver even arrived on campus, the young coach returned to his alma mater at San Diego as a receiver coach, only for the 2020 season to be cancelled due to the COVID pandemic. He quickly came back to Reno to re-join Norvell’s staff, but he took on a different role in his return, transitioning to tight end coach in 2021. Fortunately for Savage, after initially tag-teaming with Norvell to Fort Collins as the tight end coach, he promptly became Colorado State’s receivers coach in spring ball, finally granting him the chance to groom Horton nearly three years after he recruited the dynamic speedster. With NCAA rules changing to allow transfers to play right away instead of sitting out a year, the Fresno, California native immediately vaulted to the top of the Rams’ depth chart, and under the tutelage of his new position coach, he erupted for 71 receptions, 1,131 yards, and eight touchdowns, earning First-Team All-Mountain West accolades. Per Pro Football Focus charting, Horton finished second in the nation with 17 receptions on passes traveling 20-plus yards that season, and all eight of his touchdown receptions came on such throws, demonstrating his explosive downfield ability. He also forced 15 missed tackles and averaged a healthy 5.8 yards after the catch per reception, providing contributions with the ball in his hands in the short to intermediate game as well. No longer the string bean that he was coming out of high school, Savage saw Horton’s efforts in the weight room pay major dividends on the field as he grew into his 6-2 frame without compromising his elite track speed. From the coach’s perspective, nothing was more pivotal to his emergence as one of the nation’s top receivers, as the added strength had a positive impact on every aspect of his game. “Early on in his career, Tory had a frail frame,” Savage said. “But as he continued to get stronger and stronger in our weight program and really dial in with his nutrition, he was stronger at the line of scrimmage versus press, he was stronger with contested catches with DBs on his back, and he was one of our most willing, tough, and most physical blockers in the run game too. And so that all came together over the course of years and then just working on top routes, understanding how to separate versus certain leverages with DBs. But he's a guy that showed up ready to work every single day and he always had the itch to get better and one of the some of the best practice hats habits I've ever seen.” Bulking up to north of 185 pounds before his second season at Colorado State, the no longer frail Horton enjoyed another dominant year in 2023, setting a new career-high with 91 receptions, 1,136 receiving yards, and nine total touchdowns. He also continued to be a dangerous special teams weapon, returning a punt to the house for a touchdown for a second straight season. Amid that fantastic campaign, Horton played at his very best against top competition, with an eye-opening performance against future Heisman Trophy winner and top-three NFL draft choice Travis Hunter and rival Colorado serving as his magnum opus and truly putting him on the NFL radar. Targeted a whopping 18 times in that contest, he hauled in 16 receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown while also throwing a 30-yard touchdown pass, taking on the starring role as the Rams made a torrid comeback in the second half to force overtime before coming up just short in a 43-35 defeat in Boulder. Two years later, the final result still stings for Savage, who blamed Colorado State’s coaching staff for letting the upset slip away in overtime. Looking back at that game, Horton’s iconic showing in a “spotlight game” for the program only reiterated what he already knew: the rising talent was destined to make his mark on Sundays. “It was a great atmosphere for our players. You had a sold out crowd. You had college game day there. You had everybody there and it was the prime time game that night on ESPN,” Savage remarked. “And for Tory to show up and rise the occasion in one of the biggest games of college football just shows you what he's capable of doing… He did it all. He's just a true athlete and he's a true competitor. He's a competitor at all times and he's not going to back down or shy away from anybody.” Since being drafted by the Seahawks last month, Horton has gradually been working his way back towards full participation during the team’s offseason program after undergoing surgery to repair an LCL/hamstring injury suffered last October that ended his final college season prematurely. Six months after the surgery, he ran a 4.41 40-yard dash at his pro day workout leading up to the NFL draft, and told reporters moments after his selection that he had clocked under 4.4 seconds in the week prior to the draft. Still, Horton wasn’t quite ready for cutting and other football-related movements upon arrival at the VMAC, as he only caught passes off a JUGS machine during warmups and watched from the sideline for most of the Seahawks annual rookie minicamp earlier this month. With OTAs opening this week, however, based on photos on Seattle’s team website, Horton appears to have progressed to the next step in his return to full health, transitioning to running routes and catching passes on the practice field. Assuming he stays on the same trajectory between now and the start of training camp in July, he should be at full strength for the start of his rookie season, giving him a chance to immediately compete for playing time on offense and special teams as part of a retooled receiving corps no longer including long-time mainstays DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Having witnessed Horton’s growth and development dating back to the end of his prep career and understanding his high character and mental makeup to go with his versatile all-around skill set, Savage expects nothing less from his protege than to hit the ground running fast out of the gate and give the Seahawks passing game and return game an immediate jolt. As he prepares to begin his first season at USC and starts looking for his next star to groom on the recruiting trail, he will be watching closely from afar as a newly-christened 12, rooting for his pupil to continue his success story in the Pacific Northwest. “The sky is the limit for Tory and he comes from an incredible family, a first class family who's humble, they're hard working. The Seahawks got a great receiver and even a better person in Tory Horton… I'm always in his corner. You guys got a Seahawks fan now.”