San Diego (Calif.) Lincoln junior athlete Dreyden Garner is set for his first game day visit this season. The Hornets are currently 9-0, ranked No. 6 in the state

San Diego (Calif.) Lincoln junior athlete Dreyden Garner is set for his first game day visit this season. The Hornets are currently 9-0, ranked No. 6 in the state

San Diego (Calif.) Lincoln junior athlete Dreyden Garner is set for his first game day visit this season.

The Hornets are currently 9-0, ranked No. 6 in the state by CalHiSports.com and loaded with underclassmen. They’re especially deep at the skill positions and Garner is a guy we have liked since he was just a freshman.

Garner is one of the top athletes in the West Coast ’25 class and has made a smooth transition to Lincoln after transferring in from University City. He was a two-way standout who also returned kicks but is focusing more on receiver at Lincoln.

“He has a big upside for sure,” Lincoln OC Jason Carter said. “He’s getting better in all areas and has really improved since his first couple of practices.

“He can run and has a good frame and we’ve been working on his route running and how to get open. He’s seeing how hard you have to work to be great here but he’s going to get there and I’m excited to see his continued development.”

At 6-1 and a solid 185 pounds, Garner has a strong body and the track background we like. He had a personal best 100m time of 11.01 and should easily run in the 10.9-10.9 range this Spring.

He currently leads Lincoln in catches, yards and touchdowns with 32 for 733 (23 ave) and seven touchdowns and his game is definitely trending in the right direction.

On the recruiting front, Garner currently holds scholarship offers from schools like Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss and San Jose State, just to name a few.

He’s also hearing from USC and will visit this weekend to see the Trojans host Utah.

“This is my first game day visit this season so I’m excited,” Garner said. “I’ve never been to USC before so I’m excited. They haven’t offered yet but they’re showing some love and text me every week.

“I’ve only spoken to coach Simmons (WR coach) once. I mainly talk with Annie Hanson (Director of Recruiting and Brittany Thackery (Player Personnel) and I definitely have interest in the program.”

The Trojans high octane offense is a big reason for his interest in the program.

“I like the offense and how they’re not afraid to take shots down the field,” Garner said. “They’re pretty fearless and I’m looking forward to seeing them get revenge against Utah after losing to them a couple of times last year.”

In two weeks, Garner will visit the Texas Longhorns.

“I took a visit to Texas in June and really liked it there,” Garner said. “They held a pool party that weekend so it was fun to be there for that, do the photo shoot and tour the campus.

“I was able to meet with coach Sark (Steve Sarkisian) and I talk with coach (Chris) Jackson (WR coach) every week so I’m excited to see the game atmosphere out there.”

Arkansas is another school high on Garners list. He visited the Razorbacks over the summer and his friend and former University City teammate Tay Locket has already committed there.

“Arkansas is recruiting me the hardest right now,” Garner said. “I had a great visit and loved the atmosphere. Arkansas football is the only big football team in the area so we got a lot of love from everyone.

“Tay is my boy and it would be nice to play with wit him in college but I can’t let that impact my decision. If it happens, it happens and I do want to take an official visit there but I have to do what’s best for me.”

Garner said a few other schools he would like to visit at some point include Tennessee, Oregon, Colorado, UCLA, Arizona and Ohio State