Tory Horton’s college football career is over.

The star Colorado State wide receiver suffered a knee injury in Saturday’s win over San Jose State and will go undergo a procedure that will prevent him from returning this season, coach Jay Norvell said Monday night.

The fifth-year senior from Fresno, Calif., will finish 35 yards shy of becoming the all-time leader in receiving yards in Mountain West history.

Horton began his career at Nevada, where he was recruited by and played for Norvell. He followed Norvell to CSU after Norvell was hired in December 2021. Horton is in his third and final season with the Rams after turning down big-money offers to enter the transfer portal each of the last two offseasons.

“I will continue to be the ultimate teammate and captain for this team and will do whatever I can to help make this a memorable season,” Horton said in a statement. “I will forever cherish my time playing at Colorado State and wearing the Green and Gold.

“Thank you to my teammates, coaches and fans for all the love and support.”

Despite spending his first two college seasons in Reno, Horton has still established himself among the great CSU wide receivers. He’ll finish his CSU career with 193 catches for 2,620 yards and 17 touchdowns in 29 games.

He ranks fourth all-time in program history in receptions, seventh in receiving yards and tied for eighth in touchdown catches. He also holds the Rams’ record for catches in a single game with 16 in a double-overtime loss at Colorado last season. He’s also sixth in CSU history with 10 games with 100 or more receiving yards.

Horton is also a two-time first-team all-Mountain West player, earning that honor the last two seasons. He led the conference in receiving as a junior and finished second last year as a senior.

He’s expected to make a full recovery from the injury and get ready for the 2025 NFL draft.

“A goal of mine has always to play on Sundays,” Horton said, “and I will make that happen.”

The Rams must now play the second half of the season without their top offensive weapon from the last three years. Several young wide receivers have been elevated into starting roles this season and now will be asked to do more.

Chief among that group will likely be sophomore Armani Winfield, who’s in his first season at CSU after transferring from Baylor during the offseason. Winfield is currently second, behind only Horton, on the team in receiving yards and is tied for the team lead with two touchdowns.

Winfield is coming off his best game at CSU with six catches for 108 yards and a touchdown against San Jose State.

“I think his big thing is just confidence in our system,” Norvell said. “Sometimes a kid needs a big play like he had Saturday just to really give him that confidence.”

CSU also will turn to sophomores Caleb Goodie and Jamari Person, as well as true freshman Jordan Ross.

“They’re maturing,” Norvell said. “Winfield made the huge play, Caleb Goodie made one a week ago. We’ve just gotta continue to build with those young guys. We need Jordan Ross to keep growing. It’s a good core of players. Jamari Person, same thing. He continues to improve and show progress.”