“So to see him having his success, man,” continued Jones. “I mean, it means a lot for you to see those guys you went to war with, you got a good relationship with, to just be doing good.”
That standard Horn set, beginning at South Carolina, played a huge role in Emmanwori becoming the star he did for the Gamecocks (All-Freshman team and a first-team All-American in 2024) before being drafted by the Seahawks in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft.
“I was kind of like half surprised, half fanned out in a way,” laughed Emmanwori, recalling the first time he got a text and realized it was Jaycee Horn. “Because when I watched him go through his draft process, I was at home watching TV like ‘Oh my God, like he went No. 8, Jaycee Horn, he went from South Carolina.’
“Jaycee kind of set that fire for the next generation of South Carolina athletes. I remember like a bunch of the other defensive back recruits were like, man, the reason why they came was because they’ve seen Jaycee do it.”