The next level of football – the highest level of football – called a pair of former Cabarrus County standouts.
They were more than happy to accept the call.
Former Hickory Ridge wide receiver Jarett Garner and former Mount Pleasant multi-position star Landon Honeycutt both signed undrafted free-agent deals with NFL teams this weekend.
Garner, who finished his college career at East Carolina, was scooped up by the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Honeycutt, a high-level performer at Division II Mars Hill, earned a camp invite from the Cleveland Browns.
Honeycutt was a decorated linebacker at Mars Hill after graduating from Mount Pleasant, where played on the field named for his beloved grandfather, the late Larry Honeycutt.
Congratulations @LandonH_44 pic.twitter.com/2OFI8Md26U
— US Sports Management (@USS_FOOTBALL) April 28, 2024
Landon Honeycutt graduated from Mount Pleasant in 2019, and he was an elite performer during his time with the Tigers. As a senior, he was chosen as the Rocky River 2A Conference Defensive Player of the Year after racking up 94 tackles, three pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and a sack.
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His prowess wasn’t just limited to the defensive side of the ball.
Honeycutt also was one the league’s – and the county’s –
most lethal offensive weapons as a running back, finishing the season with 1,293 yards and 18 touchdowns while leading the Tigers to the conference championship.
After deciding to attend Mars Hill, the same college where his grandfather played, Honeycutt continued his high level of play.
Simply put, he was one of the best in Division II football.
As a junior, Honeycutt was named the 2022 South Atlantic Conference’s Mountain Division Defensive Player of the Year after averaging nine tackles per game. That season, he also earned a spot on the Division II Conference Coaches Association first-team All-Region list.
The next season, he became one of the best in America.
During his senior campaign with Mars Hill, Honeycutt amassed 107 tackles, 5.5 sacks and a forced fumble – better numbers than he had posted the previous season. In addition to making the all-conference squad again, it was enough to earn Honeycutt a second-team spot on the American Football Coaches Association’s All-America Team.
Honeycutt also shined in the classroom, making the Dean’s List at Mars Hill.
By his senior season, it was well known that he was a bona fide NFL prospect.
After the conclusion of this year’s draft, the Browns elected to make Honeycutt one of the few Division II players in the country to earn an invite to an NFL camp.
He plans on working hard when he gets there.
During an interview with NFLDraftDiamonds.com, Honeycutt was asked what is one thing that NFL teams should know about him.
“You’re getting a guy who will be early to everything, will constantly have a positive attitude, will work as hard as possible, will stay out of trouble outside of football, and am willing to do whatever is needed in order to better the team,” Honeycutt told the website.
Like Honeycutt, Garner also was a celebrated high school star.
While playing for then-Hickory Ridge coach Jason Seidel, now at Jay M. Robinson, Garner was a force at wide receiver, finishing his senior season with 43 receptions for 846 yards and 10 touchdowns. As a junior, he registered 60 catches for 1,292 yards and 14 touchdowns.
During two seasons on the varsity squad, he helped Hickory Ridge make deep playoff runs and post a record of 23-6 during that time. He also was named to coveted Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas.
As a result, the 2018 Hickory Ridge graduate was recruited by an assortment of major college programs but chose to play for Duke in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
During his first season for the Durham school, Garner saw action in four games. As a result of his admirable work ethic that year, he received the program’s Sonny Falcone Iron Duke Award, an honor presented to offensive, defensive and developmental program members for their year-round commitment to strength training and conditioning.
Garner spent four seasons at Duke, where he played in 29 career games, catching 23 passes for 393 yards – an impressive average of 17.09 yards per pass – and two touchdowns.
After his time at Duke – from which he earned a degree with a double major of sociology and African-American studies – he still had more eligibility and decided to transfer to East Carolina.
In two seasons at ECU, Garner caught six passes for 41 yards in 22 games.
He is looking to become the third former Ragin’ Bull in the NFL, along with former teammates Garrett Wilson (a cornerback with the Arizona Cardinals) and Jalen Brooks (a wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys). Both Wilson and Brooks were selected in last year’s NFL draft.
Garner got on NFL scouts’ radar after a strong performance at ECU’s pro day. His physical stature – a muscled 6 foot 3, 211 pounds – also was impressive, especially running the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds and going nearly 37 inches in the vertical leap.
He worked out for a while in Boca Raton, Florida, and also spent time working out with Seidel at Jay M. Robinson since March.
Welcome to Chiefs Kingdom! @_Jarett2fo pic.twitter.com/6cItDqhGFC
— ECU Football (@ECUPiratesFB) April 28, 2024
Garner told the Independent Tribune that the Chiefs gave him an indication of their interest last week.
Garner was surrounded by his family and a small group of friends, and the Chiefs communicated with his agent shortly after the draft ended Saturday.
The Chiefs chose a wide receiver, Texas’ Xavier Worthy, with their first pick of this year’s NFL draft, and Garner was one of four pass catchers to get invited to camp after not being chosen in the draft.
“My dad (Rodney) and my mom (Letitia), they cried, just because of all we’ve been through with football,” Garner said. “Just to see it all pay off, they were very excited to see me get this opportunity.
“And I’m very excited about this opportunity.”