One of Syracuse’s younger wideouts seems ready to make a splash
Fran Brown is intense. He demands hustle, intensity, and excellence from his players at all times.
But that doesn’t mean he can’t mess around from time to time. Especially if the player is from the South Jersey Area, like Jaylan Hornsby.
“I’ve been messing with him a lot,” said Brown. “Telling him he’s soft because he transferred from Camden High.”
Hornsby did start out high school at Brown’s alma mater, but joined Winslow Township for his senior season. By that point, he had committed to Texas A&M. However, once Elijah Robinson and Brown went to Syracuse, Hornsby followed suit.
The talented wide receiver only appeared in four games last season to preserve his redshirt. He made two catches for 21 yards in 2024. That was to be expected with the experienced talent in Syracuse’s wideout room last year.
But now, 2,059 receiving yards from the Orange wide receiver room is not returning for the 2025 season. Darrell Gill, Justus Ross-Simmons and Umari Hatcher provide returning support. Johntay Cook is leading the charge among new additions to the team. But Hornsby, the young receiver from Winslow Township in New Jersey, is continuing to impress coaches with his development.
“He’s becoming a complete wide receiver,” said Brown.
Hornsby has noticed the support not just from his coaches, but from his fellow teammates as well. Seeing older players like Trebor Pena helped Hornsby learn how to prepare and reaffirm his commitment to the game of football.
“They’re holding me to a higher standard,” said Hornsby.
The continued support from the older players in the locker room like Ross-Simmons have helped mold Hornsby into the complete wide receiver that Brown is seeing. The lessons from his teammates and coaches have also helped Hornsby take advantage of his strengths.
“I told him when that ball go in the air, 90% we got to come down with it,” said Ross-Simmons. “That’s our edge.”
Hornsby has used that size advantage, standing at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, to start turning heads and impressing many during training camp. He attributes part of his improvement this preseason to a shift in mentality.
“My mindset, everything is better,” said Hornsby. “I feel really confident this camp.”
Of those young receivers primed for a breakout season in 2025, Hornsby feels like he is close to the top of that list. And his coaches have challenged him with a simple task to keep improving and to keep getting ready for the upcoming season.
“I just got to keep on getting better every day with my effort, and I’ll be good,” said Hornsby.
Category: General Sports
