Horton was born in Atlanta, Georgia on October 7, 1996, or 1997.[1][2] He attended Lakeside High School and was ranked a three-star prospect.[3] He was a two-way player at tackle in football and also played basketball and competed in track and field.[4][5] Horton was named a first-team all-region player, was selected to the Semper Fi All-American Bowl, and was ranked by 247Sports as one of the top-60 prospects in the state, additionally being ranked the 23rd-best nationally at his position by ESPN.[5] He received interest from numerous NCAA Division I FBS teams and initially committed to play for the Florida Gators, but later flipped to Auburn.[6][7]
College career
As a true freshman at Auburn in 2015, Horton redshirted.[8] The following year, he appeared in 12 games, seeing extensive action as the sixth offensive lineman on the depth chart, often playing as an extra blocker in run formations.[5][9] He started seven games in 2017, mainly as a left guard.[10] Horton moved to right guard in 2018 but didn't have a great transition, ranking 627th out of 836 college lineman according to Pro Football Focus' rankings.[11] He started 12 games as a senior in 2019, finishing his stint at the school with 32 career starts.[5]
Professional career
Carolina Panthers
After going unselected in the 2020 NFL draft, Horton was signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent.[12] He was released at the final rosters cuts and was afterwards re-signed to the practice squad.[13][14] He was elevated to the active roster as a COVID-19 replacement for their game against the New Orleans Saints, but did not play and returned to the practice squad afterwards.[1][15] He was elevated again for the team's following game against the Atlanta Falcons, but was inactive.[16] He was signed to a reserve/future contract on January 4, 2021.[17]
Horton was released at roster cuts again in 2021, being re-signed to the practice squad soon after.[18][19] He was released from the practice squad on September 14, but was brought back on September 27.[20][21] He was elevated to the active roster for their week 10 game against the Arizona Cardinals, and made his debut in the game, appearing on six special teams snaps, 24% of their total special teams snaps.[22][23] He received another elevation for their game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 16 and appeared on two snaps.[23][24] Horton was elevated for a final time against the New Orleans Saints one week later and played three snaps.[19][23] He thus played in a total of three games in the 2021 season, appearing on 11 snaps.[1] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 10, 2022.[25] Horton was released by the Panthers following the 2022 preseason and was not re-signed to the practice squad.[26]