HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall offensive line coach Alex Mirabal doesn’t hesitate when he’s asked to identify the best tackle in Conference USA. He emphatically asserts it is No. 78 for the Thundering Herd.
“Clint Van Horn was the best tackle in Conference USA last year and he’s the best tackle in Conference USA this year,” Mirabal said during a recent guest appearance on The Stampede Podcast.
Van Horn, a first-team all-conference selection last season and a preseason pick this year, has transformed from a walk-on from Woodrow Wilson High School in Beckley to the undisputed leader of the line.
“He is the heart and soul and leader of this football team. Not of the offensive line, but of the football team,” insisted Mirabal.
That’s high praise for a guy who considered giving up football after his first season at Marshall.
“When I first got here I didn’t know what to expect,” remembered Van Horn. “It’s hard to come in and be one of the worst guys on the team. But then [Alex] Mirabal came in here. He was the coach who showed me how to work and be great.”
Van Horn had to deal with the same situation that almost every freshman must adjust to—lining up next to players that have equal size and talent. It was a tough transition and Van Horn nearly left the program after a tough rookie year when he ballooned up to 326 pounds. Coaches told Van Horn he needed to trim down if he wanted to become an impact player.
And he did.
Van Horn worked inside the facilities building and away from the field to slim down to a solid 314 pounds, allowing him the mobility and agility to block the fastest defensive ends in the C-USA. The hard work in the offseason started to pay off in 2013.
“Two years ago we had great tackle named Garrett Scott, but by the end of that year, sophomore Clint Van Horn was a better tackle on our team and I said that back then,” said Mirabal.
“He’s a guy who’s going to continue to push the envelope to get better. He’s not a guy who is never satisfied. He has a chip on shoulder and practices and prepares like he has a chip on his shoulder.”
Now Van Horn is trying to teach linemen such as Nate Devers, Jordan Dowery, Sandley Jean-Feliex the same lessons he learned from former Herd center Chris Jasperse.
“I followed him around everywhere,” said Van Horn. “I was taking mental notes on what he did, how he conversed with coaches, players. How he handled certain situations good or bad. He never sat back. If he watched it was to analyze the situation it was to see how he could add or implement some help.”