Introduction
Jaycee Carrington Horn (born November 26, 1999) is an American professional football cornerback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Carolina and was drafted eighth overall by the Panthers in the 2021 NFL draft. His father, Joe Horn, played wide receiver in the National Football League in the 1990s and 2000s.
Early life
Horn attended Alpharetta High School in Alpharetta, Georgia. As a senior, he had 44 tackles and five interceptions. He played in the 2018 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He signed to play college football at the University of South Carolina.
College career
As a true freshman at South Carolina in 2018, Horn started 10 of 11 games and had 45 tackles with two sacks and was named freshman All-Southeastern Conference. As a sophomore in 2019, he started all 12 games, recording 40 tackles and one sack. Horn returned to South Carolina as a starter in 2020.
On November 16, 2020, following the dismissal of former head coach Will Muschamp, Horn opted out of the remainder of the season, turning his focus to preparation for the 2021 NFL draft.
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+3⁄4 in (1.85 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | 33 in (0.84 m) | 9+1⁄8 in (0.23 m) | 4.40 s | 1.55 s | 2.60 s | 41.5 in (1.05 m) | 11 ft 1 in (3.38 m) | 19 reps | |||
| All values from Pro Day | ||||||||||||
Horn was selected by the Carolina Panthers with the eighth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He signed his four-year rookie contract on June 15, 2021, worth $21.1 million. In Week 2, Horn recorded his first career interception off Jameis Winston against the New Orleans Saints in the 26–7 win. In Week 3 during their 24–9 win against the Houston Texans, Horn suffered a fractured foot and was placed on injured reserve on September 27.
Horn returned in 2022 as a starting cornerback for the Panthers. On December 25, 2022, it was announced that Horn would miss the remainder of the season after suffering a broken wrist. He finished the season with 53 tackles, and a team-leading three interceptions and seven passes defensed through 13 starts.
In Week 1 of the 2023 season, Horn suffered a hamstring injury and was placed on injured reserve on September 15, 2023. He was activated on December 2.
On April 26, 2024, the Panthers picked up the fifth-year option on Horn's contract.
Regular season statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Comb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Sfty | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | TD | ||
| 2021 | CAR | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | CAR | 13 | 13 | 53 | 37 | 16 | 0.0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 49 | 16.3 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | CAR | 4 | 4 | 19 | 15 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 20 | 20 | 77 | 55 | 22 | 0.0 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 62 | 15.5 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Personal life
His father, Joe Horn, played as a wide receiver in the NFL. He is also the brother of the free agent Joe Horn Jr. He is in a relationship with WNBA player and South Carolina alum Brea Beal.