Apr 12, 2025; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama wide receiver Isaiah Horton (1) catches a pass for a touchdown behind Alabama defensive back Dijon Lee Jr. (5) during A-Day at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Gary Cosby-Imagn Images

The One Word Ryan Grubb Used to Describe Isaiah Horton's Fall Camp

Originally posted on Alabama Crimson Tide on SI
By Hunter De Siver | Last updated Aug 5, 2025 2:03 PM ET

Alabama football only added one wide receiver from the transfer portal, but former Miami Hurricane Isaiah Horton is among the pass-catchers that head coach Kalen DeBoer and company are most impressed with.

Horton’s 6-foot-4 length helped him tally 56 receptions last season and his consistent ability to high point the ball during A-Day makes him the top candidate to be the third wide receiver in the starting lineup.

Fall camp kicked off last week and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb likes what he's seeing from Horton. In fact, all he needed was one word to describe the redshirt junior's performance the last few days: "Hungry."

"Today, he had a touchdown in the red zone and ran a really physical route in the middle third of the end zone that he had to win on tight coverage and he bodied a guy up and made a really really strong catch.

"I think he's a guy that's very critical of himself and he's aware of the things he needs to get better at. I think that's all you can ask out of a player and he's certainly doing a good job of that."

Horton, who is originally from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, spent the last three seasons at Miami and had 56 catches for 616 yards and five touchdowns in 2024. Overall in his career, he has 70
catches for 790 yards and six touchdowns.

As previously stated, these numbers give him a very solid chance at earning a spot in the starting lineup. Sophomore Ryan Williams and senior Germie Bernard have all but locked up two of the three starting spots and Horton has really enjoyed working with them this offseason.

“Them guys are amazing,” Horton told Crimson Tide Sports Network’s Roger Hoover on Crimson Drive, on April 3. “They embraced me with open arms. I appreciate them guys. Those are my guys. Every single last one of them is just exactly what they are.

“Me and Germ [Bernard], we’ve connected. We kind of got close. Ryan [Williams too]. Really all the guys and 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. We just got to keep working, we just got to keep going and it’s going to be nice.”

Having chemistry with the quarterback as a receiver is always a plus, and while the Week 1 starter competition is not over yet for the Crimson Tide, Horton already has something in common with Ty Simpson as he's also from the state of Tennessee.

“That’s my guy,” Horton said during that same April interview. “He was my 7-on-7 quarterback when we were in high school. We have that little chemistry. That’s my guy. It’s kind of one of the reasons I came here, too, just to get back with him. He’s a stud. He's going to be one of them ones.”