Amid plenty of good recruiting news, the Auburn football program got some not great news in the form of a decommitment. 4-star linebacker JaMichael Garrett announced Thursday he was decommitting from the Tigers and reopening his recruitment.
Garrett, who is ranked as the No. 222 overall prospect and the No. 14 linebacker in the recruiting class of 2026, originally committed to Auburn football in July of 2024. Though he was scheduled to officially visit the Plains on May 30, he pivoted and instead took an official visit to Ole Miss. He is set to officially visit Miami this weekend and will officially visit Texas A&M the next weekend.
Originally from Gulf Shores, Alabama, Garrett is set to play his high school senior season of football at Central High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In the 2024 season, he recorded 91 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 2.0 pass breakups, and one interception, per his 247 Sports recruiting profile.
According to Auburn Tigers on SI, the linebacker had been having second thoughts about his commitment to Auburn football for several months. In June, he told On3's Chad Simmons he was keeping his options open.
“If anything changes, it will be before the season starts,” he said. “Auburn is still the school I am committed to, but I am looking at my options and I will take visits. I want to give some of these great schools a chance since they are recruiting me so hard.”
Though Garrett has released no timeline for another commitment, it's looking like he will not end up in orange and blue for his college debut next fall.