FORT COLLINS — For the second straight offseason, Jay Norvell’s biggest recruiting win is getting one of his star players to stick around for a fifth season of college football.

Colorado State wide receiver Tory Horton announced on Sunday afternoon that he will return in 2024.

The two-time first team all-Mountain West wide receiver has racked up 167 catches for 2,267 yards and 16 touchdowns in two seasons with the Rams after spending the first two years of his college career with Norvell at Nevada.

Horton also had two punt return touchdowns over the past two seasons and was second-team all-conference as a returner in 2023.

Despite CSU losing one starting wide receiver to the transfer portal in Louis Brown IV, that was never the danger with Horton, who was only considering declaring for the NFL Draft or returning to Fort Collins.

Norvell said last summer that Horton turned down big money offers from Power 5 programs in the previous offseason, and he’s already hinted that those efforts continued since the Rams’ season ended.

Horton’s return is a big boost for a CSU offense that was much improved in Norvell’s second season and the program has already gotten reaffirmations of commitment from fellow offensive starters in quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi and wide receiver Justus Ross-Simmons.

Colorado State wide receiver Tory Horton (14) in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, in Fort Collins, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

David Zalubowski