Why Miami transfer Isaiah Horton chose Alabama: ‘It’s the standard of college football’
Miami wide receiver Isaiah Horton entered the NCAA transfer portal in mid-December, and less than a week later, he committed to continue his football career at the University of Alabama.
In an interview with the Crimson Tide Sports Network, Horton explained his decision.
“It’s Alabama,” Horton said. “It’s the standard of college football. All the history that Alabama has, I’ve always wanted to be a part of something like this. Ever since I got here, it’s a dream come true. It’s everything, from the training to the nutrition, equipment, everything is A-1. Everybody is respectful with it. Everything is exactly what I thought it would be.”
In his third year at Miami, Horton caught 56 passes for 616 yards and five touchdowns this past season. He was second on the Hurricanes offense in receptions, third in receiving yards and fourth in receiving touchdowns. Horton’s best statistical game of the 2024 season was the U’s 50-15 win over South Florida – eight passes for 108 yards and a touchdown.
Now at Alabama, Horton will play for second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer, who he said is a “players coach” and “a great leader.” From a positional standpoint, Horton will spent a lot of his time with wide receivers coach JaMarcus Shephard, who he praised on Thursday.
“He’s a great coach,” Horton said of Shephard. “It was really special to connect with him. He’s a great guy. He’s a great human being. He teaches us just a lot. It’s more than just football. Obviously, he’s a great football coach, but what I respect about him is he’s a great guy.
“He teaches us life lessons that’s going to carry us for rest of our life. And I appreciate him for that, and I know the rest of the guys do, as well, the rest of the team
“He’s a great motivator. He’s honest. He’s genuine. You can understand where he comes from. He’s real, and He’s never going to sugar coat anything with you. That’s what you appreciate about him. He’s just a super cool guy. You got to get around, man. You can’t be sad around him. He’s cool people. He’s great vibes.”
Horton joined an Alabama receiving corps that welcomed back its top two targets for the 2025 campaign. Germie Bernard and Ryan Williams combined to haul in 98 passes for 1,659 yards and 10 touchdowns this past year. In Year 3 in Miami, Horton didn’t have as many yards as the Tide tandem, but his 56 receptions were more than any Alabama player.
Just 10 spring practices into his tenure with the team, Horton sees a special receiver room.
“Them guys are amazing,” Horton said. “They embraced me with open arms. I appreciate them guys. Those are my guys. Every single last one of them are just, they’re exactly what they are.
“Me and Germ, we’ve connected. We kind of got close. Ryan. Really, all the guys, like we’re still building. But we see what we’ve got, and we know we’re gonna be nice and we know we’re gonna be special. And we are. So we just gotta keep working. We just gotta keep going, and it’s gonna be nice.”
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