Alexander "Zander" John Horvath (born December 10, 1998) is an American professional

Running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

for the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donat ...

, and has previously played in the NFL for the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

Early life

Zander went to Saint Bavo for elementary and middle school, where he played football and graduated from in 2013. Horvath then also played football at Marian High School in

Mishawaka, Indiana Mishawaka () is a city on the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States. The population was 51,063 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Its nickname is "the Princess City". Misha ...

. He recorded 3,373 yards and 50

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

on the ground, earning all-state and ''

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'' Midwest Regional

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honors.

College career

Horvath initially committed to

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

to play

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

as a preferred

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, but switched commitments when Purdue

running backs A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. There a ...

coach

Chris Barclay Chris Barclay (born October 15, 1983) is an American football coach and former running back who is the running backs coach for the Louisville Cardinals. He played college football at Wake Forest. He was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undra ...

offered him a chance to play his natural position of running back. Horvath did not play in 2017. In 2018, Horvath appeared in 13 games, rushing nine times for 42 yards and a touchdown. Horvath also caught four passes for 38 yards. In 2019, Horvath's role expanded. Horvath appeared in 11 games, starting four. He rushed 79 times for 377 yards and two touchdowns, and caught 17 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Horvath appeared in 6 games, starting five. He rushed 89 times for 442 yards and two touchdowns, and caught 30 passes for 304 yards. In his senior year of 2021, Horvath rushed 91 times for 320 yards, and caught 17 passes for 108 yards.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Initially not projected to be a drafted player, Horvath intrigued scouts with his elite positional athleticism for a fullback, scoring a 9.83 out of 10 Raw Athletic Score (RAS).

Los Angeles Chargers (first stint)

Horvath was selected by the

in the seventh round (260th overall) of the

2022 NFL draft The 2022 NFL draft was the 87th edition of the National Football League's annual NFL draft, draft and was held from April 28–30, 2022, at the Caesars Forum on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, Paradise next to Las Vegas. The first round ...

. He became the first running back or fullback to catch a touchdown in his first two games since 1942. He was released by the Chargers on August 30, 2023.

Pittsburgh Steelers

On September 2, 2023, Horvath signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

of the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

. He was released on October 9.

Los Angeles Chargers (second stint)

Horvath was re-signed to the Chargers practice squad on November 22, 2023. He was released on December 1.

New Orleans Saints

On March 7, 2024, Horvath 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 National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

. On August 13, Horvath was waived by the Saints.

Miami Dolphins

On August 19, 2024, Horvath signed with the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

. He was waived on August 27.

BC Lions

On January 24, 2025, Horvath signed as a running back with the

of the

(CFL).

References

External links

BC Lions bioPurdue Boilermakers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Horvath, Zander 1998 births Living people Sportspeople from Mishawaka, Indiana Players of American football from Indiana Players of Canadian football from Indiana American football fullbacks Canadian football running backs American people of Hungarian descent Sportspeople of Hungarian descent Purdue Boilermakers football players Los Angeles Chargers players Pittsburgh Steelers players New Orleans Saints players Miami Dolphins players BC Lions players