How Kylic Horton went from playing 8-man football to signing with SEC’s Gamecocks

Johnny Horton knows his son Kylic can be a little emotional at times.

On Wednesday, Dec. 15, those emotions bubbled over in the Clarendon Hall gymnasium when it was time for Kylic to get up and speak. Friends and family gathered at the small private school located in the town of Summerton to watch Kylic Horton sign his letter of intent to play college football at South Carolina.

Reading off notes from his cell phone, Horton thanked his parents and Clarendon Hall coach Anthony Reitenour, among others. He went on to thank Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer and receivers coach Justin Stepp. Then, he paused and wiped away a tear or two when talking about USC.

“I love everything about that place, from the fans to the city,” Horton said. “Thanks to everyone who has supported me showing me love.”

It’s not uncommon for an athlete to get emotional on signing day as they think about their journey and everyone who helped them get to that point. Horton’s own journey is a unique one because it’s not every day a player from an 8-man football program is headed to a Power 5 school in the Southeastern Conference.

It wasn’t immediately known whether USC has ever signed a prospect from one of South Carolina’s 8-man teams that compete in the S.C. Independent Schools Association. There are 18 small private schools in the state that play the 8-man format because of either limited school size or challenges with kids’ interest in playing football.

The late Gaines Adams is probably the most well-known 8-man football player to come out of South Carolina. He played for former Gamecock Steve Taneyhill at Cambridge Academy and earned a scholarship at Clemson.

Adams was a college All-American and became a first round NFL Draft pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2017. He played three seasons in the NFL before his death in 2010.

Horton lives in the Lake Marion High School district, but the family decided to attend Clarendon Hall, which has an enrollment of 289 K-12 students, according to SCISA.

Tyrese Mitchum, Horton’s older brother, enrolled at Clarendon Hall, and Kylic followed before his eighth grade year. The Horton family had a strong relationship with Reitenour, Clarendon’s football and basketball coach. Johnny Horton and Reitenour were teammates at Elloree High School and remained friends after high school.

“The first time he came into this gym, he was probably 5-foot-10, little bald-headed, knucklehead shooting half-court shots,” Reitenour said. “He was very, very raw and grew into an amazing young man. The transformation has been incredible and amazing to watch.

“Me and his family being so close and going back so far makes it very personal.”

Reitenour took Kylic under his wing, and the two have a special relationship, something his father is grateful for over the past six years.

“He found something in coach Anthony that he connected with,” Johnny Horton said of his son. “We just rode that wave. I’m extremely proud of him and the kid he has become.

“(USC coaches) love him and he understands coming from 8-man that he has a lot of work in front of him. At the same point and time, he is not a quitter and I expect him to do great things at USC.”

Horton’s rise as a football prospect

Horton’s first love was basketball, and he helped Clarendon Hall to back-to-back SCISA Class A championships in 2019-20. He averaged 30 points and 20 rebounds a game last season and is off to a strong start this year.

The shift from basketball to football started just before last summer when he got his first college offer from Benedict in May. An offer from Gardner-Webb came while he was attending a two-day camp at South Carolina. That two-day camp at USC changed the path and trajectory of Horton’s career.

Colleges couldn’t hold summer camps in 2020 because of COVID-19, so Horton wasn’t able to work out for coaches before his junior season. With Horton playing in an 8-man program at a small school, Reitenour wanted to get him as much exposure as he could before his senior year in 2021.

The two mapped out a plan of hitting various camps, with USC being the first stop on the tour. The 6-foot-4 Horton, who has an 82-inch wingspan, ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash and had a vertical leap of 39 inches at the camp — he picked up a scholarship offer before leaving Columbia.

“When we pulled out of camp the first day, we stopped by the armory (by USC’s practice facility), he looked up and said, ‘Coach I really want to play here,’ ” Reitenour recalled. “We are going to come back tomorrow and put on another performance and hit the schools and sit down and look at our options. He had the look in his eyes, and I knew if he got the offer this is where he wanted to be.

”When a kid that is close to you wants to stay home, I am going to tell him to stay home. I think he made a great decision. … The way coach Beamer and the USC coaches love their players is similar to what he is used to.”

Horton had a big senior season with 42 catches for 813 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also had four interceptions on defense. In the SCISA 8-man all-star game earlier this month, Horton caught 10 passes for 280 yards and six touchdowns.

247Sports Composite ranks Horton as the 10th-best prospect in South Carolina for the Class of 2022.

Horton grew up a Gamecocks fan and loved watching Alshon Jeffery and Jadeveon Clowney play. Jefferey also was a two-sport standout from small Class A Calhoun County High School and went on to shine at USC and win a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Mike Williams, who is from the small town of Vance and attended Lake Marion, went on to be a standout receiver at Clemson and is with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Now, Horton hopes he can do the same and give hope to other small school athletes.

“I just want to show that anything is possible,” Kylic said. “Anything is possible if you put your mind to it. It doesn’t matter what size school you went to or where you are from. ... I am going to do my best to make everyone proud.”