San Diego Program Preview: Lincoln Hornets 

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>The Lincoln Hornets enter 2023 coming off their most accomplished season in program history that included wins over Carlsbad in the SD Section Open-Div. Championship, Sierra Canyon in the D-1AA Regional, and De La Salle in the D-1AA State Championship. They'll look to replace key pieces from their championship run including the #1-RB in CA, Roderick Robinson, and multiple P-5 signees on defense. Lincoln opens the season in Oahu vs. Wai'anaea on 8/17. Key matchups to watch in San Diego will be games against Mater Dei Catholic, Madison, and Cathedral Catholic. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Losses:</strong> QB KJ Chatham, RB Roderick Robinson (Georgia), WR Corey Thompson-Miller (UNLV), LB David Peevy (USC), LB Chris Fewell (SDSU), DB Josiah Cox (Arizona St.), DB Adrien Chargualaf (Black Hills St.), DB Chris White (Yale), DB Hunter Wiggins (New Mexico)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Transfers:</strong> QB [player_tooltip player_id='406658' first='Akili' last='Smith'] Jr. (Vista Murrieta), ATH [player_tooltip player_id='406654' first='Dreyden' last='Garner'] (University City), RB <strong>Kent Armstrong </strong>(Crawford), DB [player_tooltip player_id='723770' first='Abdulahi' last='Sharif'] (Crawford), ATH [player_tooltip player_id='282768' first='CJ' last='Williams'] (La Costa Canyon) </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Schedule&nbsp;</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>8/17 <strong>@</strong> Wai'anae (Wai'anae, HI)&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>8/25&nbsp; vs. Bishop Alemany&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>9/1 vs. St. Bonaventure&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>9/8 <strong>@</strong> Mater Dei Catholic</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>9/15 vs. Cajon (San Bernardino)&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>9/22 vs. Inglewood&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>9/29 <strong>@</strong> Madison</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>10/6 vs. Cathedral Catholic&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>10/13 vs. St. Augustine&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>10/20 <strong>@</strong> University City</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Offense </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lincoln's offense picked up two elite 2025 playmakers through offseason transfers- QB [player_tooltip player_id='406658' first='Akili' last='Smith'] Jr. and ATH [player_tooltip player_id='406654' first='Dreyden' last='Garner']. Smith flashed his natural arm talent, athleticism from the pocket, and arm strength/accuracy throwing for 2,400 yards and 29 TDs as a sophomore. PRZ CA's #6-ranked QB committed to Oregon on 7/31 after racking up 15 D-I offers and instantly makes Lincoln a contender to repeat as state champions. Garner's an electric athlete that produces explosive plays in all three phases as a WR/DB/KR. He brings speed, ball skills, and a legit deep-threat for Lincoln's offense- currently holds offers from Colorado, Arkansas, Oklahoma St., Ole Miss, and others. Senior WR [player_tooltip player_id='683628' first='Mahki' last='Gray'] is the top returner on the perimeter from last season along with fellow senior <strong>Ayden Billups</strong> and junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='976918' first='Marcos' last='Pena']</strong>, who each just picked up offers from SDSU in June. The backfield will look to replace one of the most productive RBs in the state last season with junior returners <strong>Aden Jackson</strong> and <strong>Donald Reed III</strong>, along with Crawford transfer,<strong> Kent Armstrong</strong>. Armstrong was the second leading rusher for Crawford as a sophomore totaling nearly 1,000 yards and 11 TDs on 112 carries. He's a fast, elusive athlete that can rip off big gains and catch out of the backfield. The OL unit is led by senior OG <strong>Adrian Gutierrez</strong> who just added an offer from Western New Mexico and juniors [player_tooltip player_id='406670' first='Journey' last='Tala'] and [player_tooltip player_id='406729' first='Ladainian' last='Tafilele'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/Akilismithjr/status/1686098438344294400?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Akilismithjr/status/1686098438344294400?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Defense </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lincoln's defense looks to reload a dominant defense from last season that featured multiple D-I starters. [player_tooltip player_id='683640' first='Jerome' last='Roberts'] is the feature LB who's added offers from SDSU, Nevada, and Sacramento St. since November. He's a fast and physical ILB that likes to get downhill and create negative plays in the backfield. Senior ILB [player_tooltip player_id='273581' first='Micah' last='Valenzuela'] and junior OLB <strong>Munir Kassa </strong>should be in position to earn more playing time this season alongside the mainstay, Roberts. Junior DT <strong>Eugene Rice</strong> is a disruptive force in the run game that can plug interior gaps and make tackles at the LOS- he should be a breakout stock-riser among San Diego DL this fall. The secondary added two talented transfers in 2025 CB [player_tooltip player_id='282768' first='CJ' last='Williams'] and 2024 S [player_tooltip player_id='723770' first='Abdulahi' last='Sharif']. Williams is a versatile piece that can play outside CB, nickel/S, and make plays with the ball in his hands- he added two HBCU offers in November from Alabama St. and Bethune-Cookman. Sharif's an instinctive deep-safety that can also line up over the slot and make plays on the ball in coverage anywhere he lines up. Senior DB <strong>Joseph Benavente</strong> is another returner to keep an eye on this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/KUSIPPR/status/1686487126433726464?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/KUSIPPR/status/1686487126433726464?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->