Rookie Tory Horton, from fall knee surgery, ‘a very dark place,’ to Seahawks surge
Tory Horton’s NFL dream was becoming his nightmare.
Last September, early in his final college season at Colorado State, the speedy wide receiver injured his knee in a game against Northern Colorado. He was only able to play a little the next week in his final rivalry game against Colorado. He missed games into October, played in one, then hurt his knee too badly Oct. 12 to play any more last season.
He needed surgery. His college career was over. The pass catcher and punt returner with size and hands some saw as a second-round draft choice feared his NFL chances were shrinking. Plus, Colorado State’s captain in 2023 and ‘24 felt he was letting down his Rams teammates.
“During those times I was in a very dark space,” Horton said, “because, you know, that was my senior year. It was a lot of goals that I had set, and the team had set.
“Just going out like that I feel like it was just a dishonor to my teammates. And I wish I could get that time back.”
He stayed in that dark time emotionally until late in November 2024. It wasn’t until Horton was with his family at home in Fresno, California, for Thanksgiving weekend last fall that the youngest of five children of Zezette and Tim Horton got out of it.
More to the point, they got him out of it His parents, sister and brothers came together for Tory’s 22nd birthday — and got him reconnected to his football dream.
He gives all credit to his mother Zezette, father Tim, oldest sister Danita, older sister Jeane plus older brothers Tim Jr. and Tyler. Jeane plays volleyball professionally overseas, after an All-American college career at Texas-El Paso. Tyler was a two-time All-Mountain West Conference defensive back at Boise State 2015-18. Tim Jr. has served in the U.S. Army.
“I got a little cheer up, and that pulled me out (of it),” Horton said. “I’ve got a very strong family base that helped me out and kept me with positive vibes. My mom and dad helped a lot. And then, of course, my sisters and brothers, they kind of stayed on me and made sure I kept my head up and I stayed strong.
“So it’s a huge shout out to them, just making sure my mental (outlook) was right.”
Horton has reason to shout now. He’s made it back from his “very dark space” 10 months ago — all the way into the Seahawks’ starting offense.
That’s where Seattle’s rookie fifth-round draft choice was Friday, for the first time. For eight practices, Horton caught almost everything thrown to him and deftly read defenses. For the ninth practice of camp, Horton was catching passes from starting quarterback Sam Darnold in a one-on-one goal-line drill and a 2-minute drill scrimmage.
He slickly leaped inside cornerback Josh Jobe while keeping his feet inside the sideline for a touchdown pass from Darnold. Horton also went against Pro Bowl cornerbacks Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen. The 6-foot-2, 196-pound Horton was running routes with Cooper Kupp, the 2021 NFL offensive player of the year, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who tied Tyler Lockett’s Seahawks team record with 100 catches last season.
Each day, the man who was 35 yards short of the Mountain West Conference record for receiving yards when he got hurt 10 months ago looks less and less like a rookie fifth-round pick.
He looks more a part of the Seahawks’ plans for this season.
Horton pulled off a 4.41-second 40-yard dash at the 2025 NFL scouting combine less than five months after his knee surgery. That was 15th-fastest among 40 wide receivers there.
That speed plus his experience and elusiveness returning punts have the rookie wide receiver the Seahawks are already calling “T Bone” emerging in Seattle’s offense and on special teams for this season.
“Tory is an underrated guy, in our opinion,” Seahawks general manager John Schneider said. “I mean, he can return punts. The catch radius. He’s this long, competitive, very fast receiver.”
He’s also extra athletic. Horton was a standout in three sports at Washington Union High School in Fresno, Class of 2020. He also excelled in baseball, as an outfielder, while playing basketball.
He says his experience in baseball helps him tracking punts. He’s been doing that every day in this Seahawks training camp. He’s been practicing catching kickoffs as a possible returner there, too.
He’s never done that.
“Yeah, kick return. It will be something new.
“But right now, you know, I’m just kind of just doing everything out and, you know, wherever they got me, I’m trying to be the best I could be in that.”
Tory Horton’s mental reps
Horton said he’s taking care of his body better since his knee surgery last fall. He’s taking contrast baths, hot then ice cold.
He’s also taking better care of his mind. He said that takes a beating with all the intense studying of his new Seahawks playbook he’s been doing. Coach Mike Macdonald said new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has installed almost all of Seattle’s base offense at this point.
“I work some mental breathing things,” Horton said. “I just kind of get some shut-eye and just get away from things for a little bit.
“I just shut the (team-issued) iPad off and just close my eyes and just focus on deep breaths.”
He started this mental conditioning and preservation while at Colorado State, where he transferred in 2022 after beginning his college career at Nevada. XTi Technologies, a biotech company based in Greeley, Colorado, worked with CSU’s football team.
Horton loved what XTi did in caring for his mind and his body with techniques such BioLight recovery.
“They got the red-light and blue-light therapy,” he said. “So, you know, I kind of set those red lights on, those guys with XTi therapy, so I got my red-light therapy where it’s gets me in that, that soothing mood.”
The way he’s performing already in his young Seahawks career, Horton has reasons beyond lights for his peace of mind.
“I just want to have their accountability and trust,” Horton said of Macdonald, Kubiak, wide receivers coach Frisman Jackson and special-teams coach Jay Harbaugh.
“I’m still building. This is all still new. ...They are all great athletes. The competition is a jump. And that’s something that you’ve got to enjoy.
“Iron,” Horton said, sounding just like Macdonald, “sharpens iron.”
This story was originally published August 2, 2025 at 4:07 PM with the headline "Rookie Tory Horton, from fall knee surgery, ‘a very dark place,’ to Seahawks surge."
