Horne looking to return to his roots

Milwaukee (Wisc.) running back Marcus Horne has attended Bradley Tech for the entirety of his high school career, but the Midwest back has his roots in the south and his upcoming recruitment may give him a chance to make a return to his boyhood home.

"I'm originally from Mississippi," Horne said. "I moved from Mississippi in my eighth grade year. The majority of my family is in Mississippi. My cousin, C.J. Johnson, had committed to Mississippi State but he de-committed and went to Ole Miss. I would love to play against him or with him, but we'll have to see what happens."

Mississippi State could be a team that gives Horne a chance to return to his home state and play against his cousin. The Bulldogs have been in regular contact over the last few months.

"Mississippi State is a team I am glad is recruiting me," Horne said. "Dan Mullen, their head coach, emails me a little bit. Coach [Greg] Knox, their running backs coach, like me a lot too, they just want to see me in person.

"I was supposed to go down for their junior day last weekend, but I couldn't make it. I actually go down in April all the time and stay with my uncle, so I plan to visit them. I am going to try to get to their spring game."

Horne does hold an offer from North Dakota State, but he desires to play BCS Conference football. Several schools from those conferences, including Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Minnesota and Wisconsin, are showing interest.

"The Badgers have a new running back coach and he seems to like me a lot," Horne said. "When I went up there for a junior day at the end of February, that was like his third day on the job. He said I was the only running back there he actually knew about, so that was a plus for me. He said he liked what he saw on film and that I play Wisconsin football. He wanted me to call him and build a relationship with him and come down for spring practices."

Horne plans to make it back to Madison for a spring practice or spring game in the next couple months. He also has trips scheduled to other Midwest schools in the coming weeks.

"I was supposed to go to Minnesota last weekend, but I couldn't make it up there," Horne said. "I will definitely be at Northwestern next weekend, and will get to Minnesota's spring game. The Northern Illinois coach sent a letter and said they liked my film. I have him a call and am going down to their Junior Day/Spring Game on April 23."

As a junior, Horne totaled 1,200 yards of offense and 15 total touchdowns. He has also been impressive off the field, and holds several weight room records at Bradley Tech. He reports a 335-pound bench press max, a 505-pound squat max and a 265-pound power clean.

Horne also is tallying strong numbers in the classroom, where he maintains a 3.838 GPA. He is looking to stay around the sports industry and major in either sports medicine or Kinesiology in college.