Opt-out backlash? Jaycee Horn, his family react to criticism from Gamecock faithful about ending his season
South Carolina CB Jaycee Horn announced on Monday that he would opt out of the rest of the season and prepare for the NFL Draft. But the announcement also came with backlash.
Horn became a star this season. Through 7 games, he had recorded 16 tackles, 2 interceptions and 6 pass breakups. He and Israel Mukuamu formed one of the top cornerback tandems in the SEC, and Horn particularly shined against Auburn. In that game, Horn excelled against Seth Williams in a lot of one-on-one matchups, and recorded a pair of interceptions, the first two of his career, and deflected a pass that led to a third interception for the Gamecocks.
Horn left the Gamecocks with the most interceptions (2) and pass breakups (6) on the team this season.
ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. has rated Horn as the sixth-best draft-eligible cornerback.
After Horn announced his plans, his brother and other Gamecock faithful came to his defense when others were critical of his decision to not finish the season. His brother responded on Twitter to tell critics how he was unappreciated, and later, “I use to wonder why athletes never show love/return to their old school … now I see.”
I use to wonder why athletes never show love/ return to their old school… 🤷🏽♂️ now I see.
— JoeHornJr (@Joehorn_4) November 17, 2020
Jaycee Horn’s brother speaks out. Major yikes. pic.twitter.com/a8JpzkZXRQ
— The Spurs Up Show (@TheSpursUpShow) November 17, 2020
I told em it was my turn… I’m guessing that the time here. All Luv! #Chosen1 #SEATBELT pic.twitter.com/dSwkIFz2JB
— Jaycee Horn (@jayceehorn_10) November 16, 2020
Now type that again without crying
— Zach Wilson SF SZN (@lavishedgelivin) November 16, 2020
Can’t wait to see you balling out on Sundays. Long career ahead of you! Hope you have great success and good health!
— James (@crunchytaters) November 17, 2020
The negatives of social media once again reveal themselves.
I’d wager 90% of the fan base feels differently than the loudest whiners on Twitter.
Would I have liked Horn to play the season out? Of course, but as a grown adult, I’ll respect the athletes decision and realize my opinions on the matter make no difference.
With an interim head coach, these next three games have no major bearing on the trajectory of the season, so it matters little.
“Mel Kiper has rated Horn as the sixth-best draft eligible corner”
And what 5 corners are better than him Mel? You could make an argument for Shaun Wade, Caleb Farley, and Patrick Surtain. That’s it. And for the record I think he is the BEST in the class. Good size, great man to man player reminds me of Greedy Williams when he came out except greedy got hurt
He has his counterpart Israel M. As the 4th best corner in the draft. Elijah Molden at 3 and Paulson Abedo at 5.
Who the hell is Elijah Molden? Paulson Adebo plays for freaking Stanford he will not be any good in the NFL
I’ve never understood why anyone including this site would assume that social media represents a significant portion of the population. Just because someone on Twitter said so doesn’t mean they speak for the majority.
Because generalizing sounds better and gets more clicks than, “Opt-out backlash? Jaycee Horn, his family react to criticism from two Gamecock fans on Twitter.”
Well, his brother bashed the entire school and not just the few critics. People that can’t tell the difference between the voice of a couple vs an entire fanbase should just stay away from social media.
yup weagle nailed it. some idiot fan tweets something stupid and all of a sudden Gamecock nation has spoken. has been happening all to often and the media, almost all of them, just love to stir the pot and create something that isnt there or leave out bits and pieces of what is really said so it sounds totally different. Maybe I was naive but I always believed what guys like walter cronkite and david brinkley said on the evening news was honest and accurate. Now I dont trust any news outlet. they are all slanted one way or the other (mostly left). A shame really.
fuzzyvol01, there’s plenty of right-wing news outlets too: Fox News, OAN, Newsmax, Daily Caller, Info Wars. But point made. We really have to pay attention to what we’re reading these days – a lot of it is partisan baloney.
Agreed. Have you ever seen the movie “Idiocracy”? It’s a comedy made a decade or so about how stupid the world became in the distant future. Unfortunately I think it’s rapidly becoming more of a before-it’s-time documentary and SDS along with Twitter, Social Media ect are falling right in line.
The Horns can tweet all they want, but attacking the fans is never a winning move.
The Horn family is seeing those $$$$$ signs…nothing else.
S.E.C. SNOB…True…anyone with a brain does not ever attack an entire base…they will always lose.
He doesn’t deserve the backlash and these “fans” are pathetic but Horn did quit on his team.