Kai Horton, a UW transfer, calls the signals for Tulane in a 2022 game against Houston. Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Here's How a Tulane Quarterback Ended Up in Montlake

Originally posted on Washington Huskies on SI
By Dan Raley | Last updated Feb 18, 2025 4:20 PM ET

It seems somebody always knows a person here and there across the college football landscape, and that's often how coaches get hired and some players transfer where they do.

That explains how Kai Horton, a Tulane quarterback and a part-time starter over the past four seasons, and someone who was raised in Texas on the Louisiana state line, now finds himself at the University of Washington.

The back end of that football road map was put together in a phone call or two between Jimmie Dougherty, the new Husky offensive coordinator as well as the returning quarterbacks coach, and Jon Sumrall, who became the Tulane coach last season.

"One of my best friends in this business is Jon Sumrall, the head coach at Tulane, and he spoke really highly of Kai and his character and who he is as a person," Dougherty said. "He's somebody I felt really comfortable about bringing into the quarterback room and letting him go out there and compete."

Dougherty and Sumrall coached together early in their careers, with both overlapping at the University of San Diego in 2007 and 2008. Dougherty became the offensive quarterback for the Toreros during that time, while Sumrall coached the defensive line.

In Horton, the UW picked up a 6-foot-4, 219-pound senior who appeared in 13 games for Tulane and started three, including the 2023 Military Bowl against Virginia Tech, a 41-20 loss.

He brings career stats of 64 completions in 123 attempts for 833 yards and 6 touchdowns, with 5 interceptions.

Horton will join a position group that begins with 5-foot-11, 187-pound returning starter Demond Williams, who appeared in 13 games and started the last two as a freshman, including the Sun Bowl against Louisville, a 35-34 setback.

Also in the mix are 6-foot-3, 203-pound junior Shea Kuykendall, who started three times for Northern Colorado in 2023 but sat out all of last season at the UW, plus 6-foot-1, 215-pound Ashton "Dash" Beierly and 6-foot, 200-pound Trenton "Kini" McMillan, both incoming freshmen.

Horton providess more of a veteran presence behind Williams as the younger players get acclimated to the program.

"That just had to do with bringing in some depth," Dougherty said of Horton. "He's a guy who has played some in the past."

This article first appeared on Washington Huskies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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