Julien Horton has always wanted to play at North Carolina. He was once the young kid daydreaming about being a Tar Heel, long before he picked up a football.
After originally committing to play at Maryland in March, the Bel Air rising senior defensive back flipped his commitment to head south. Horton, who was named The Aegis 2023 football Player of the Year , originally had offers from Minnesota, Cincinnati and Syracuse as well.
But North Carolina was the dream. So when they called, it was hard to turn down. He announced his commitment last week on Instagram with a carousel of photos from his official visit in late June – one of which included him sitting in the stands of Kenan Memorial Stadium holding a baby goat with a baby blue handkerchief around its neck.
“I feel like it’s not gonna sink in until I’m actually on campus or I actually suit up for a game,” Horten said. “But it’s obviously a blessing for me. I’m really excited about this opportunity.”
Horton recently spoke with The Aegis about his commitment, conversations with his soon-to-be coaching staff and goals for his senior season. (Editor’s note: some questions and answers have been lightly edited for clarity) :
What helped you land on North Carolina?
I first verbally committed to Maryland in March, but UNC has been my dream school since I was a kid. I still had a lot of love for UNC sports so I wanted to at least go check them out. I went down there on an official visit the 21st to the 23rd of June and just fell in love with it. I felt like that was the place I needed to be.
Where did the love of UNC come from?
Basketball used to be my main sport. I was always a big fan of UNC basketball. I used to watch them a lot growing up. Obviously I watched their football team once I started getting into football when I was about 9 or 10. I’ve just had a love for UNC since I was a kid. It was a great feeling. It was a feeling like all the hard work paid off. Like I know I can play at that level.
How was the visit to Chapel Hill? Take me through that experience.
It was a great visit. They were very professional about everything. They got us a car service and paid for our plane ticket and hotel room. I just really want to play for someone like coach Mack Brown. He’s the type of coach that would have my back through anything, like if anything went wrong. He’s really big on education and that’s really big for me and my family. I know me getting a degree from UNC could set me up for life even if I don’t go to the NFL.
Obviously the photo shoot was my favorite part of the visit. But they took me to their weight room and I met with their nutritionist. They gave me some advice about getting my body right for the season, how to take care of your body and stuff like that. Then it was a lot of meetings with my position coaches and the coaching staff then a campus tour.
When you had those meetings, what’s some advice you’ve gotten from those coaches or things they like about you as a player?
They really like my versatility. I feel like I can play any position at defensive back on the field – whether it’s corner, nickel or safety. They think I’m one of those guys they can plug in whenever and I can help them win.
Honestly, I was asking them for advice but they just told me to keep doing what I’m doing, keep listening to my coaching staff and when I get on campus they’ll take care of me. They were basically saying the best way to get better at football is to just to keep playing football. They just told me to have a good year this year. Then when I come in, just to be locked in when I get to campus.
What has made your time at Bel Air so special so far?
I feel like the coaches were always putting me in the best position that I need to succeed. Like our offensive coordinator always finding ways to get me the ball even when I was double teamed on the outside. And my DB coaches letting me roam the field and do what I do best, which is find the football and make plays. So big shoutout to my coaches for that.
What are your goals heading into your senior season?
I didn’t really start playing football until the seventh or eighth grade. I still feel like I have a lot to learn. I feel like there’s a lot of upside for me with that. And for next year, with all the players we have coming back and all the new transfers we have coming in, we should go undefeated in the county and try to make a state playoff run.
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