Ben Horne

Ben Horne

Horne on the Sabercats in 2023
No. 58 – Baltimore Hawks
Position:	Linebacker/Defensive End
Personal information
Born:	(1996-01-15)January 15, 1996 (aged 67) Palo Alto, CA
Height:	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:	255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High school:	Denver South High School
College:	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
ISFL Draft:	2023 (S8) / Round: 1 / Pick: 6
DSFL Draft:	2022 (S7) / Round: 2 / Pick: 1
Career history
Tijuana Luchadores (2022 (S7)) San Jose Sabercats (2023 (S8)-2028 (S13)) Baltimore Hawks (2029 (S14)-present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
SFC Champion (2022 (S7)) 1 x NSFL Pro Bowl 2026 (S11)
Career NSFL statistics as of Week 14, 2028
Total tackles: 483 Pass deflections: 29 Interceptions: 3 Tackles for loss: 25 Sacks: 18 Forced Fumbles: 3 Fumble Recoveries: 2
Player stats at ISFL.net

Ben Horne (born January 15, 1996) is an American football linebacker for the San Jose Sabercats of the National Simulation Football League (NSFL). He played college football for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) before being drafted by the San Jose Sabercats in the 2023 ISFL Draft (S8). Prior to this, he had been drafted by the Tijuana Luchadores in the 2022 DSFL Draft (S7).

Early years

Horne was born in Palo Alto, California, but was quickly moved to Denver, Colorado at the age of 1. He would grow up in Denver, attending Denver South High School. It was there where his football career would begin, playing both Quarterback and Linebacker for the South Denver Rebels his sophmore year. Horne quickly became known on the team for his football intelligence, quickly reading plays on both sides of the ball. After gaining the starting position at Linebacker his junior year, Horne suffered a season-ending knee injury. Horne would go through lateral release surgery to realign the kneecap and remove tore cartilage. Although Horne recovered from the injury by the next fall, he decided to sit out his senior year to focus on his studies.

College career

Horne attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York on an academic scholarship. He majored in Computer Science and did not plan to play football. However, his sophomore year, he decided to try out for the football team, as he was getting burnt out on academics. To his surprise, he made the team and became the starting Linebacker halfway through his first season. He would lead the team in tackles and sacks each of his 3 seasons on the team. Despite Horne's stellar performance throughout his college career, RPI only had 1 winning record season during Horne's career. Many blamed these losing seasons on the lack of offenses players recruited by the school, others blamed it on the D1 hockey program taking all the school resources. Rather than bank on his reincarnated football career, he would stay at RPI after graduation to obtain his Masters of Computer Science. After his masters, he again decided he should continue his education, obtaining 2nd Masters in Sociology. During this time, he played in a semi-pro flag football league to keep his football skills sharp.

College career statistics

Career statistics			Tackles			Sacks	Interceptions			Other Defense					Special Teams
Season	Team	Games	Reg	TFL	Total	Sack	Int	Yds	IntTD	DefTD	FFum	FRec	PD	Safety	KR Yds	KR TD
2016	RPI	9	50	1	51	6	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0
2017	RPI	14	120	6	126	3.5	2	22	0	0	4	1	10	0	0	0
2018	RPI	14	127	5	132	5	1	6	0	2	7	3	15	1	0	0

Professional career

DSFL career

While Horne's plan after his two Masters degrees was to continue to get a PhD, he declared for the DSFL draft anyway. Coming from a D3 football program only known for NFL coach Matt Patricia, Horne did not expect to be drafted. In addition, Horne was older than his peers, entering the draft at 25 years old. Despite his and many others doubts, he was heavily scouted and excelled in both team interviews and public press conferences. To even more people's surprise, Horne wowed many scouts with his athletic ability at the DSFL Combine. Horne says this is all thanks to his athletic trainer and mentor at the time, Icy Douglas.

In the 2022 DSFL Draft (S7), Horne was drafted by the Tijuana Luchadores as the 1st pick in the 2nd round, number 5 overall. In Horne's first and only season on the Luchadores, he would become a core member of the iconic defense, nicknamed "Ciudad de Sack" (roughly translating to Sack City in English). The Ciudad de Sack included fellow linebacker Chad Pennington, safety Thad Pennington, defensive end Vance Sachs, and defensive tackle Omar Wrong. The Luchadores would win their first playoff game in franchise history due to this iconic team, becoming the SFC Champions. Sadly, the team would go on to lose in the 4th quarter of the Ultimini 743 to the Portland Pythons.

NSFL career

Horne was drafted with the sixth overall pick in the 2023 ISFL Draft (S8) by the San Jose Sabercats.

In 2026 (S11) Horne signed a 1 year $2M extension to his 3 year $1M Rookie contract with the San Jose Sabercats.

In 2027 (S12) Horne signed another 1 year extension with the San Jose Sabercats, this time worth $3M.

Pre-draft measurables

Ht	Wt	40‑yd dash	20‑ss	3‑cone	Vert jump	Broad	BP	Wonderlic
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	4.47 s	4.54 s	7.52 s	28.6 in (0.73 m)	117.3 in (2.98 m)	34 reps	26

Professional career statistics

Career statistics			Tackles			Sacks	Interceptions			Other Defense					Special Teams
Season	Team	Games	Reg	TFL	Total	Sack	Int	Yds	IntTD	DefTD	FFum	FRec	PD	Safety	KR Yds	KR TD
2022 (S7)	TIJ	14	45	1	46	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	0	0	0
2023 (S8)	SJS	14	73	7	80	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0	0	0
2024 (S9)	SJS	14	88	2	90	4	2	0	0	0	1	1	4	0	0	0
2025 (S10)	SJS	14	117	2	119	2	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0
2026 (S11)	SJS	14	114	1	115	5	0	0	0	0	2	1	5	0	0	0
2027 (S12)+	SJS	14	40	9	49	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	13	0	0	0
2028 (S13)+	SJS	14	26	4	30	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2029 (S14)+	BAL	14	90	1	91	10	0	0	0	0	1	0	14	0	0	0

+ Played as DE instead of LB

Achievements and records

Awards

Team

• SFC Champion 2022 (S7)

Individual

• 1 x NSFL Pro Bowl 2026 (S11)