UCF WR Tyren Hornes Talks Transition to College Level

UCF freshman wide receiver Tyren Hornes speaks with the media following the Knighta' Aug. 10 practice session.

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Video Transcript

All right, Tyron and, welcome to UCF.

I know you've been here since spring, but just, just kind of reflect on, on, on being here over the last year or so or last, uh, 8 or 9 months and just your decision to uh choose UCF.

Uh, I feel like it was a good choice for me to come here, uh, come, come together with the team, just get better every day.

So how's it been?

You went through spring ball and now you're in the middle of camp.

Do you feel like you're kind of, you know, for a freshman, you know, kind of making a name for yourself out there?

Uh, I just came in, wanted to work, keep my head down every day, getting better, taking stuff from the older guys, helping me get better too.

What's been the biggest adjustment for you from the high school level to to to being on the college field?

Uh, the biggest adjustment is they just move a, a tip faster, um, plan.

It's a lot faster out there.

That's really it.

So, um, when you had committed to UCF, you were previously committed before you announced it.

What made it special about being able to announce it at the Under Armour game and make it a big deal?

Uh, I just wanted, I just wanted to be out there, let it be known that I've come to UCF and it was my home.

Absolutely.

And now as you progressed throughout fall camp, do you kind of see yourself fitting in any better than you expected, or is it kind of what you're expecting to see?

This is what I expected.

It's a lot.

It's, it's good here.

They take care of you, the cultures, they love you, yeah.

Which guys are you leaning on to, to learn from?

I learned from everybody in the route receiver room, Speedy, JD, Waden.

Um, yeah, it's something that they've shared with you that you've just embraced and, and, uh, just my play style, like how I play, we all play different.

So I'm a lot explosive and I play bigger like.

How I am, and then they just give me different details and stuff like that.

How fast are you?

I'm very fast.

405.

No, I'm good right now, but I know facts.

Tyronne, what's it been like working with weight and somebody who Played a good bit as a true freshman last year.

What's it been like kind of working with him now that you're in that role he was in last year?

Uh, waiting, he gives me a lot of stuff, uh.

Teaches me some stuff that he knew before because he was here last year so he just helped me uh learn a playbook and watch a film and stuff like that.

What's the biggest thing you think you need to do to to emulate the stuff that he did in terms of getting the playing off the time on the field this season?

I just gotta keep my head down, keep working, getting better every day.

Bonding with the team.

Coach Beckham recruited you through the entire process even when you're committed to another school, Michigan State, for a time.

Uh, what was that relationship like?

What, what kind of stands out about, uh, about him in, in that process and now having worked with him for the better part of, you know, 8 months?

I had a great relationship with Coach Beck.

He hit me up a lot every day.

Just wanted me to get here.

What's his coaching style?

What's stuck to you so far?

Uh, he really is focused on the details like you make sure you know what you're doing out there and he will help you like just ask and he'll tell you what you need to do.

And Tyrone, you've been getting a lot of shouts from the wide receiver locker room regarding your play style.

Uh, in your own words, what do you say you bring to the team?

Uh, I bring a lot of explosive explosive plays and.

And you know, you're getting to play power 4 college football, a feat that not everyone can accomplish.

If you could talk to eight year old Tyronne right now and tell him what you're doing, what would you think about that?

Uh, you'll be happy, excited.

This was my dream since I was a kid.

I've been playing football since I was 4.

Accomplishing some goals right now.

Sorry, how confident do you feel that you can be one of the, you know, main pieces to this wide receiver room and get a lot of playing time as the year kind of progresses?

I'm really confident in playing with this receiver room.

Uh, we all as a whole can be better, uh, than what we are right now.

Like we, we're very good right now, but I see a lot of potential in our.

So, so this is a dream of yours, obviously to play, uh, you know, major college football.

Uh, who did you emulate?

Who did you like to watch growing up?

Like, did you always play receiver?

Did you watch guys on, on Sundays in the NFL?

I used to play a little bit of running back, but, you know, receiver was my main.

I watched a lot of Ja'Marr Chase, uh, Justin Jefferson, but my play style, I look at Ja'Marr Chase a lot.

And now that you know the season's just here in a few weeks now, how excited, how more excited are you getting knowing that, you know, you're finally gonna have an opportunity to get out there and play for real?

I'm getting excited every day, every practice, getting better, working my way up to that starting spot.

I've seen Jordan Bridgewater make a few plays through the early days of camp as well.

What do you think he could add to the, to the group as well?

Uh, he has a lot of speed and he knows how to run routes and stuff.

Last week, uh, Alonzo shouted you out as one of his young guys that he's really impressed with so far.

How does it make you feel to get that type of praise from?

I feel great getting praise from QB1 Alonzo.

He's very dynamic too.

Like we all just praise each other.

We gotta bring each other up as a team.

What's, what's it like catching from a quarterback like Alonso?

Have you called from anybody who's played at his level?

I feel good , uh, playing with Alonso.

He knows how to spin the rock.

You said you want to make strides here and and and make a name for yourself.

Does the freshman designation doesn't seem to hold you back?

Yeah, it's just me.

I'm coming into work.

It's been me ever since I was a kid.

I just like to work, uh, coming in with older guys, working with them, coming with the coaches, getting stuff, knowledge from Coach Beck, Coach Frost, cool.

Atari, you come in as one of the highest ranked recruits in UCF history.

Are you kind of embracing these high expectations out of yourself, and you have a kind of almost like a, you feel like pressure on yourself to, to meet those standards, or?

I don't have no pressure on myself.

I just come in, do what I gotta do, and build a team.

1 or 2 more.

Will you factor into the return game too?

Uh, yes, I want to return some balls this year too.

How's that been in practice?

I just got to keep going and get working with a special teams coach and Uh, who would you say has been the player that's taken you the most under their weight so far?

Um, Everybody, it's not really one particular player.

I, I go around with all the receivers, all the quarterbacks.

I'm friends with everybody.

There's not one particular player that's just, I'm under their wing.

I take a lot of stuff from everybody around on the team.

What about as far as like, you know, working with Coach Beckton, he played wide receiver here a long, a while back.

What's it been like working under him?

Uh, it's been great working with Coach Beck.

He taught me a lot of stuff that I need to know.

He could still teach me some more stuff going on this season.

What's that?

All right, thanks, Tyra.

Thank you, Tyra.

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