| Mike Horton | |
| Position: | Offensive guard |
| Birth Date: | 7 October 1997 |
| Birth Place: | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 4 |
| Weight Lb: | 325 |
| High School: | Lakeside (GA) |
| College: | Auburn (2015–2019) |
| Undraftedyear: | 2020 |
| Pastteams: | |
| Highlights: | |
| Statlabel1: | Games played |
| Statvalue1: | 3 |
| Pfr: | HortMi00 |
Mike Horton (born October 7, 1997) is an American football offensive guard who is a free agent. He played college football for the Auburn Tigers and has also been a member of the Carolina Panthers.
Horton was born in Atlanta, Georgia on October 7, 1996, or 1997.[1] [2] He attended Lakeside High School and was ranked a three-star prospect.[3] He was a two-way player at tackle in football and also played basketball and competed in track and field.[4] [5] Horton was named a first-team all-region player, was selected to the Semper Fi All-American Bowl, and was ranked by 247Sports as one of the top-60 prospects in the state, additionally being ranked the 23rd-best nationally at his position by ESPN.[5] He received interest from numerous NCAA Division I FBS teams and initially committed to play for the Florida Gators, but later flipped to Auburn.[6] [7]
As a true freshman at Auburn in 2015, Horton redshirted.[8] The following year, he appeared in 12 games, seeing extensive action as the sixth offensive lineman on the depth chart, often playing as an extra blocker in run formations.[5] [9] He started seven games in 2017, mainly as a left guard.[10] Horton moved to right guard in 2018 but didn't have a great transition, ranking 627th out of 836 college lineman according to Pro Football Focus' rankings.[11] He started 12 games as a senior in 2019, finishing his stint at the school with 32 career starts.[5]
After going unselected in the 2020 NFL draft, Horton was signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent.[12] He was released at the final rosters cuts and was afterwards re-signed to the practice squad.[13] [14] He was elevated to the active roster as a COVID-19 replacement for their game against the New Orleans Saints, but did not play and returned to the practice squad afterwards.[1] [15] He was elevated again for the team's following game against the Atlanta Falcons, but was inactive.[16] He was signed to a reserve/future contract on January 4, 2021.[17]
Horton was released at roster cuts again in 2021, being re-signed to the practice squad soon after.[18] [19] He was released from the practice squad on September 14, but was brought back on September 27.[20] [21] He was elevated to the active roster for their week 10 game against the Arizona Cardinals, and made his debut in the game, appearing on six special teams snaps, 24% of their total special teams snaps.[22] [23] He received another elevation for their game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 16 and appeared on two snaps.[23] [24] Horton was elevated for a final time against the New Orleans Saints one week later and played three snaps.[19] [23] He thus played in a total of three games in the 2021 season, appearing on 11 snaps.[1] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 10, 2022.[25] Horton was released by the Panthers following the 2022 preseason and was not re-signed to the practice squad.[26]
Horton was selected in the third round (18th overall) of the offensive line phase of the 2023 XFL Draft by the Arlington Renegades.[26] He made the team's final roster and appeared in all 10 games as a starter, helping them win the 2023 XFL Championship Game over the DC Defenders.[2] [27] [28] He was not part of the roster after the 2024 UFL dispersal draft on January 15, 2024.[29]