Meet Maryland DB commit, Michigan flip target Julien Horton, a gem with elite speed and versatility

The DMV is one of the country’s true hotbeds for football recruiting talent. Exposure there isn’t exactly hard to come by.

However, if you head northeast of Baltimore towards the Maryland-Pennsylvania border, you may find a true gem in the 2025 recruiting class.

Bel Air (Md.) High safety Julien Horton is ranked as the No. 834 overall prospect in the country. Every recruiting service has him graded as a three-star. The dude doesn’t even have a real profile photo — just a blurry image taken from who knows where.

But that all may change soon.

“Julien went to a private school his first two years, Calvert Hall,” said Bel Air defensive backs coach Julian Pickett. “He came to me over the winter time when I was running a 7v7 league. The kids told me he was a fast kid and worked hard. I was like ‘I just hope he shows up.’ He ended up coming to practice and shows up in these Uggs and pajamas. I’ll never forget. I was like ‘did you come to practice?’ He goes ‘yeah, I just have to put my cleats on.’ He puts the cleats on with his pajamas, and the kid moves at a speed you just wouldn’t believe. When you watch his film and then see him in person, his film doesn’t do him justice. You have to see this guy in person.

“I grew up in Atlanta, and I haven’t see that kind of talent in Maryland in the last eight years, especially in Harford County. The closest I’ve see is Deonte Banks from the (New York) Giants. He played at Edgewood in Harford County. So we were doing 7v7, and that’s just touch. But he was coming downhill and just cracking people. He only has one speed. He only knows to go hard at all times. I was excited to coach him.”

Horton clocked a 10.7 100-meter as a sophomore in his first year with the program — Pickett also serves as his head track coach. He also put together an impressive junior film and caught the attention of a handful of Power Five programs.

Horton eventually committed to Maryland in March. However, more and more schools are starting to catch wind of his talent, including Michigan. The reigning national champs extended an offer this week and got him on campus for an unofficial visit.

“I’m from Atlanta, so I’m a big-time Georgia fan,” Pickett said with a laugh. “However, Michigan won the national championship. I love what they are doing out there. You can’t hate the process and all the wonderful things they’ve done throughout the years. They are the national champs for a reason. I think he could be another piece of the puzzle for Michigan to possibly repeat. I’m saying this as a Georgia fan, so I’m only speaking the truth.”

Only time will tell if Michigan is able to flip Horton from its Big Ten bunkmate. But he certainly checks a lot of boxes for the Wolverines.

New U-M secondary coach LaMar Morgan values versatility when evaluating players on the back end. He wants prospects that can move around and not be pigeon holed to one spot. Horton showed that desired Swiss Army knife style of play last season.

“When he came from Calvert Hall, he had only played safety,” Pickett said. “He really worked on his man-to-man game. This past season, I put him everywhere on the field. He played boundary safety, corner and down in the box. We even put him at outside linebacker. If a kid goes down or needs a break, you can plug Julien anywhere. If I had to compare him to somebody, it’s like what the (Baltimore) Ravens are doing with Kyle Hamilton. He’s a great safety, but if you put a lion in a cage, you’re not letting him be a lion. He can play all over.”

Horton also brings two other key traits to the table — speed and physicality.

“As a safety, he comes downhill,” Pickett said. “As soon as he knows it’s a run, he’s in the backfield. If you watch his film, you see it. He’s coming down 100 miles per hour. He actually ran a 10.4 100-meter hand time, and we got him on the laser, and he ran a 10.7 as a sophomore. He didn’t even find his niche in track because he loves football so much. He didn’t run track this year. Some coaches told him to get bigger. He focused on his body. He’s always working on his skillset to be come a better football player.”

But it takes more than just talent to play at a place like Michigan. The Wolverines have their own unique culture. In order to don the winged helmet, you must take a team-first mentality.

And it certainly seems like Horton values that.

“What I love about him is he makes everybody around him better,” Pickett said. “He knows he’s good, but he won’t tell you he’s good. He coaches up the young kids. He’s like another coach. He takes his time to explain things. He’s not selfish. He has a really strong work ethic. He’s all about building everyone around him.”

Sounds like a match.