Zach Horton from Indiana is on the list of candidates for the John Mackey Award

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana’s Zach Horton is one of 48 tight ends on the preseason watch list for the John Mackey Award.

The award is given to the most outstanding tight end in college football and is chosen by the John Mackey Award selection committee. Brock Bowers of Georgia won the award in 2023 and 2022.

Horton is entering his freshman year with the Hoosiers and his final collegiate season as a transfer from James Madison, where he played for Indiana’s new head coach Curt Cignetti. Horton, a 6-foot-4, 250-pound tight end, has appeared in 23 games for the Dukes over the past three seasons, starting 11 times.

As a junior in 2023, Horton set a career-high with 27 catches for 275 yards. He scored six touchdowns, which ranked him fifth nationally among tight ends. Horton started all 13 games for the 11-2 Dukes and was named to the All-Sun Belt first team.

That was a steady improvement from his sophomore season in 2022, when Horton received 13 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns. He started five games and appeared in 11 for a James Madison team that went 8-3. As a true freshman, he played in eight games.

Horton committed to James Madison as a three-star recruit, ranked 2,089th in the 2021 class and 110th among tight ends. After three years at Northview High School, Horton played his senior season at Lord Botetourt High School in Daleville, Virginia.

Horton is expected to play a big role for the Hoosiers in 2024, along with veteran tight ends Trey Walker and James Bomba. Indiana lost Bradley Archer and Aaron Steinfeldt from the 2023 roster, but returns young tight ends like Brody Foley and Sam West and welcomes rookie Brody Kosin.