Tucker Horn is a name I admittedly was not aware of until after he had graduated from Trinity University. I only became aware of him after he had finished his college career having amassed 9,146 total yards with 100 touchdowns to just 17 interceptions. Along the way collecting SAA Offensive Player of the Year twice, 1st Team All-SAA twice, D3Football.com All-Region twice, and finished his first season as a starter as a Gagliardi finalist. Sometimes it’s easier to appreciate the greatness of a player when you can look back on his career without a preconceived bias, and it certainly didn’t hurt in this case.
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Breaking Down his Game at Trinity University
Looking at Horn’s tape some things about his game stick out immediately. First of all, he throws a beautiful deep ball, while I think he is lacking just a little bit of the desired arm strength to be considered the prototypical quarterback, he can use his whole body when creating velocity on the ball. This tends to aid him when he’s pushing the ball downfield, but at times played a part in a few inconsistencies in the intermediate game.
Horn seems to move in the pocket well and has some escapability to his game but he also owes his former offensive linemen some nice gifts when he signs his next contract. Trinity’s offensive line did an amazing job keeping Horn upright and delivering touchdown passes, and he had at least one receiver that sticks out on film as a potential professional. Regardless of his supporting cast, Horn seems to have all the tools to find success in the pro ranks. He strikes me as a future target for the IFL, AFL, ELF, GFL, or LFA, although he could peak UFL or CFL curiosity and find himself in camp with one of these leagues. I believe if he ends up in a level below the UFL/CFL he will promptly prove to be an upper echelon starter for these leagues.
What I like about Horn is he shows no fear in his decision-making, sometimes this leads him to stay on a read longer than needed but even these plays seem to end with the right decision being made. He fits the ball in tight windows and I have no doubt his teammates have respect for his mentality when it comes to contact. He likely infuriates coaches by lowering his shoulder to finish runs, and sometimes hanging in the pocket to deliver a throw only to be smashed by a free runner.
If Horn was 6’3 225 lbs and had just a bit more arm strength or was just slightly quicker he might have been on NFL radars coming out of school. Quarterbacks that put up an 8:1 touchdown to interception ratio aren’t easy to find, even at the D3 level. However, with his quick release, anticipation, and ball placement, he could be another player to watch when he gets a chance as a pro.
Winning Culture
Trinity with Horn at the helm won the conference championship in all three seasons he started from 2021-2023. This revived a long-standing history of winning that had fallen off since 2011. With Horn starting Trinity went 30-4, with a perfect 22-0 conference record. This came as the team averaged over 42 points per game in 2021 & 2023 while dipping to just over 33 points per game in 2022. Horn had this offense humming.
During the 2020 season, Horn’s second year at Trinity and first involved heavily in the offense he helped lead the team to a 3-1 record splitting time with Wyatt Messex but still managing a 5:1 touchdown to interception ratio. I have to commend the coaches at Trinity for their faith in Horn. During the 2020 season, he completed just 50% of his passes, yet the next season he still was handed the reigns and bounced back completing over 68% of his passes with a 33:3 stat line in his first season as a full-time starter finishing as a Gagliardi semi-finalist.
IQ, Extends Beyond the Football Field
Intelligence is a trait that is possibly the most important in a quarterback. It will make or break a career. We have talked about his football IQ in a roundabout way discussing his decision-making, and anticipation. Now we are going to look at the academic awards he received to drive home that Horn has the intelligence part covered.
Horn made the Dean’s List 5 times including at least one semester every year he was in college. He was named to the SAA Fall Academic Honor Roll three times. Finally, he was also named College Sports Communications Academic All-District.
Pro-Day
He would attend the UTSA pro-day in March. Throwing to Joshua Cephus, now with the Jaguars, and Tykee Ogle-Kellogg, who was invited to Washington’s camp, in front of around 20 NFL teams. He also managed to open some eyes by running a 4.65 40-yard dash, showing he is faster than most thought.
This unfortunately did not end with an an NFL or CFL camp invite but that has not stopped him from pursuing the professional ranks. I am told Horn is open to indoor football if outdoor opportunities do not present themselves in 2025, and likely will not hesitate to consider a contract offer as he awaits offers outdoors. After spending the 2024 season away from football this QB is simply looking for a chance to prove his college career was not a fluke, but just Horn scratching the surface of his potential.
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