SE: How Timmy Horne Went from Transfer to K-State Captain in Seven Months
Sep 03, 2021 | Football, Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
His first trip to Bill Snyder Family Stadium was a tough one for Timmy Horne to forget.
Horne was a sophomore at Charlotte, a football program that didn't even exist when he began high school. The 49ers were in Manhattan to face a K-State team ranked No. 19 in the country
Charlotte lost the game 55-7. But that's not what Horne remembers.
"The crowd experience was something else," he said. "Even after the game, I heard that K-S-U chant in my head for about a week straight."
Four years after K-State fans left an impression on Horne, it's taken the Charlotte transfer just a few months to make an impression on the Wildcats.
In August, head coach Chris Klieman announced Horne as one of four captains for K-State this season, alongside Jahron McPherson, Noah Johnson and Skylar Thompson.
That's three guys who have spent a combined 15 seasons in Manhattan and a player who arrived here in February.
But for a K-State team looking to reset on-the-fly in 2021, it doesn't get much better than a 6-foot-5, 321-pound redshirt senior ready to embrace the core values of the program.
"He's probably one of the more vocal guys we have," defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman said. "Just yesterday after practice, he grabbed everybody and said, 'Hey, I'm going to watch film tonight if anyone wants to come and join me.' Things like that, we haven't had since we've been here."
After redshirting his freshman season, Horne started 27 games across four seasons at Charlotte, helping make some history in his native North Carolina. Horne got the start at defensive tackle for the 49ers in the first bowl game in school history - the 2019 Bahamas Bowl.
Even at a Big 12 program, Horne is still approaching every snap with something to prove.
Just ask another member of the defensive line.
"To be able to come in and be here, not even with a full year yet, and be chosen for that role, that's a big deal," Eli Huggins said. "Real vocal guy and a great leader. He's also very physical, super strong player and very quick. He can get after an offensive lineman pretty fast."
Huggins and Horne look set to play next to each other on the interior of the defensive line, though Horne also has some flexibility to bring pressure off the edge. That's huge as the 'Cats look to replace a pair of All-Big 12 defensive linemen in Wyatt Hubert and Drew Wiley.
Clearly, Horne has impressed on the practice field, but his role as a captain has just as much to do with his presence throughout the program.
"You want to go attack how you want your end goal to be. So, you have to care about the process each day. Make sure you take a step to the area we want to go," Horne said. "[On defense], we pride ourselves on making sure we communicate, play physical and understand what we have in meetings. That's important for us to continue to train for."
Simply put, Horne is also at a different point in his life than most college football players. He graduated from Charlotte in the spring and got married in July.
The Wildcats look to be an experienced group in 2021, but that word gets tossed around every college football program this time of the year.
On the field, it looks like a K-State team that returns every starter on the O-line, at least 75 percent of their passing, rushing and receiving yards and at least 60% of their tackles.
But around Manhattan, experience sounds a lot like what Timmy Horne delivers every day.
"Honestly, leadership and helping people communicate more," Horne said. "That can fix a lot of things, even in life outside of football."
His first trip to Bill Snyder Family Stadium was a tough one for Timmy Horne to forget.
Horne was a sophomore at Charlotte, a football program that didn't even exist when he began high school. The 49ers were in Manhattan to face a K-State team ranked No. 19 in the country
Charlotte lost the game 55-7. But that's not what Horne remembers.
"The crowd experience was something else," he said. "Even after the game, I heard that K-S-U chant in my head for about a week straight."
Four years after K-State fans left an impression on Horne, it's taken the Charlotte transfer just a few months to make an impression on the Wildcats.
In August, head coach Chris Klieman announced Horne as one of four captains for K-State this season, alongside Jahron McPherson, Noah Johnson and Skylar Thompson.
That's three guys who have spent a combined 15 seasons in Manhattan and a player who arrived here in February.
But for a K-State team looking to reset on-the-fly in 2021, it doesn't get much better than a 6-foot-5, 321-pound redshirt senior ready to embrace the core values of the program.
"He's probably one of the more vocal guys we have," defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman said. "Just yesterday after practice, he grabbed everybody and said, 'Hey, I'm going to watch film tonight if anyone wants to come and join me.' Things like that, we haven't had since we've been here."
After redshirting his freshman season, Horne started 27 games across four seasons at Charlotte, helping make some history in his native North Carolina. Horne got the start at defensive tackle for the 49ers in the first bowl game in school history - the 2019 Bahamas Bowl.
Even at a Big 12 program, Horne is still approaching every snap with something to prove.
Just ask another member of the defensive line.
"To be able to come in and be here, not even with a full year yet, and be chosen for that role, that's a big deal," Eli Huggins said. "Real vocal guy and a great leader. He's also very physical, super strong player and very quick. He can get after an offensive lineman pretty fast."
Your 2021 captains ⚒@mactresuno@timothyhorne1
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) August 25, 2021
Noah Johnson@skylarjthompson#KStateFB pic.twitter.com/cuerghIVjs
Huggins and Horne look set to play next to each other on the interior of the defensive line, though Horne also has some flexibility to bring pressure off the edge. That's huge as the 'Cats look to replace a pair of All-Big 12 defensive linemen in Wyatt Hubert and Drew Wiley.
Clearly, Horne has impressed on the practice field, but his role as a captain has just as much to do with his presence throughout the program.
"You want to go attack how you want your end goal to be. So, you have to care about the process each day. Make sure you take a step to the area we want to go," Horne said. "[On defense], we pride ourselves on making sure we communicate, play physical and understand what we have in meetings. That's important for us to continue to train for."
Simply put, Horne is also at a different point in his life than most college football players. He graduated from Charlotte in the spring and got married in July.
The Wildcats look to be an experienced group in 2021, but that word gets tossed around every college football program this time of the year.
On the field, it looks like a K-State team that returns every starter on the O-line, at least 75 percent of their passing, rushing and receiving yards and at least 60% of their tackles.
But around Manhattan, experience sounds a lot like what Timmy Horne delivers every day.
"Honestly, leadership and helping people communicate more," Horne said. "That can fix a lot of things, even in life outside of football."
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