Wes Chandler Horton (born January 18, 1990) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

. He is the brother of former

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

Shane Horton. He was signed by the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

as an undrafted free agent in 2013 and spent the bulk of his seven NFL seasons with the team.

Early years

Horton was born and raised in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. He attended Notre Dame High School. As a junior, he was selected to the Cal-Hi Sports All-State Underclass second-team and also was named to Los Angeles Daily News All-Area first-team and All-Serra League first-team. As a senior, he was selected to the Prep Star All-American, Super Prep All-Farwest, Prep Star All-West teams. He also was selected to the All-CIF Pac-5 Division first-team and Los Angeles Daily News All-Area second-team.

Professional career

Carolina Panthers

On April 28, 2013, he signed with the

as an undrafted free agent. In his rookie season, Horton played in 10 games and recorded eight tackles and two sacks. On November 23, 2015, Horton was suspended for four games by the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

for violating the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

Performance Enhancement Drug Policy after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. On December 28, 2015, the

waived Horton. On February 7, 2016, Horton's Panthers played in

Super Bowl 50 Super Bowl 50 was an American football game to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2015 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) cha ...

. In the game, the Panthers fell to the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

by a score of 24–10. Horton re-signed with the Panthers on a one-year deal on February 16, 2016. On September 4, 2016, Horton was released by the Panthers. He was re-signed by the team on October 14, 2016. On February 27, 2017, Horton signed a two-year contract extension with the Panthers through the 2018 season. On September 10, 2017, Horton sacked quarterback

Brian Hoyer Axel Edward Brian Hoyer (born October 13, 1985) is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Since joining the NFL in 2009 as an undrafted free agent, he has started for seven different ...

and forced a fumble, which the Panthers recovered, in the season opening 23–3 victory over the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

New Orleans Saints

On May 21, 2019, Horton signed with the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

. He was released on September 9, 2019.

Carolina Panthers (second stint)

On November 6, 2019, Horton signed with the

. Horton retired on February 4, 2020, citing a desire to preserve his health and mentor younger athletes at the high school level.

Personal life

Wes Horton's father is Michael (Myke) Horton, former

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

who played nine years as a backup on various NFL, CFL, and USFL teams before becoming nationally known as "Gemini", one of the original '' American Gladiators'' (1989–1992).Eric Sondheimer
Signs Are Good for These Sons of `Gemini'
''Los Angeles Times'', October 6, 2006, accessed June 21, 2015.David Newton
Meet Wes Horton, son of a TV 'gladiator'
ESPN.com, September 19, 2014, accessed June 21, 2015. His brother, Shane Horton, is an

who played

, and is now currently a free agent.

References

External links

USC Trojans bioCarolina Panthers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Horton, Wes 1990 births Living people American football defensive ends Carolina Panthers players New Orleans Saints players People from Chatsworth, Los Angeles Players of American football from Los Angeles USC Trojans football players