Electrifying Brad to be a Bulldog

Mississippi State recently added a player to its commitment list that looks to continue the tradition of top notch linebackers. Brad Horton (6-2, 230, 4.6) from Spencer High in Columbus, Georgia, has all the tools, on and off the field, to reach that goal.

"I just thought that Mississippi State is a good program, and I’d be very good there with the coaches that they have, so I just went on and committed," Brad commented on his decision to play for MSU over the next several years. "Their linebacker coach has had so many SEC defensive players of the year, and that was interesting to me."

So how did Brad get on MSU’s radar screen? Look no further than another recent Bulldog commitment, another top player from Georgia. "A boy that plays, and is in the Dandy Dozen named (Avery) Hannibal, they had some tape from when he played Spencer," Horton explained.

"They called him and asked him about me, and he told them I was a good player. They came down to see me and asked for a video tape then they just told me they liked me. We are really good friends."

Although Brad is being recruited as a strong side outside linebacker, he is a very versatile athlete on the field for his high school team. "He plays fullback, he also plays wingback and tight end," commented Spencer High Head Coach Collins Jones.

"If we are going to throw the football, he is going to play tight end. If we are trying to get on the corner, he is going to play wingback, and if we are fixing to play smash mouth football, he’s fixing to block the defensive end or he’s fixing to load on the linebacker."

Brad also has expanded duties on the defensive side of the ball. "He plays some defensive end too," Coach Jones added. "As a matter of fact we played him at defensive end against a team that runs to the outside field, and he had 16 solo tackles. He’s a Cadillac with Volkswagen mileage.

"He has a lot of similarities to (former High School All-American at Spencer High, Georgia player of the year, and Kentucky running back) Moe Williams. I coached Moe Williams from the Vikings. He is in that same mold."

Brad’s late father played college football at Morehouse College, and Coach Jones attributes part of Brad’s success to his physical makeup. "Brad’s dad was a hell of an athlete," he commented. "It’s in the genes."

A four year starter, Brad totaled 156 tackles as a junior, and has pitched in 118 this season with two games to go, and has also added four sacks. On the offensive side of the ball he has eight catches as a tight end and has over 300 yards receiving and over 300 yards rushing as a wing back. For his accomplishments he has been named to the Dandy Dozen team in the region and has been nominated for the Wendy’s Heisman Trophy award for Georgia, to be awarded later this month.

So what else does he do? Coach the team? Hold on before you laugh. "I coach the freshman team and they are 7-0," he said. "I love coaching the freshman."

Horton’s versatility extends beyond the gridiron. Although he intends on playing football only at the next level, he also excels at basketball, baseball and track.

"I know I can dunk a basketball," commented the Spencer High shooting guard. "Last year they gave the name "Electrifying Brad". I always used to catch the alley oop. I was the first linebacker to stuff I guess, and they liked to see me jump," he commented with a laugh. He averaged 11 points and 10 rebounds a game as a junior.

On the baseball diamond he plays second base and batted .427 with three home runs last season. He also runs a 27 second 200 meter dash and runs the fourth leg of the 4X100 relay for the Green Wave track team.

If there is anything that supercedes Brad’s exploits on the field, it is his stellar off the field accomplishments and his overall demeanor. "He’s a very manageable kid, and has a 3.83 grade point average (17 on the ACT), National Honor Society, Who’s Who in America, Eagle Scout." commented Coach Jones. "He’s very active in his church. He’s the kind of kid that you want to babysit your grandson.

"I think that he is a great person on and off the football field. He is very studious and he’s very conscious about what he is doing and where he is going. He’s just a great person.

"In order for you to understand what I am saying, you’ve got to know the kid. He has never been in trouble at school. If he was not an athlete, you would think he was a geek," he said with a laugh.

"The reason I say that is, okay, like the average kid now wears these sagging, baggy clothes, right? Brad will wear it, but it will be so conservative, until the fact that he dresses within the fad, but he doesn’t wear any earrings or any gold in his mouth. He is always trying to help people. He’s just a great person."

Brad camped at Middle Tennessee State, Georgia Southern, Georgia, and Auburn over the summer and says he has received scholarship offers from Indiana, Middle Tennessee State, Georgia, and Florida, along with Mississippi State. He is scheduled to visit Starkville officially on January 17th, and says that will be his only trip.