Gearing up to defend the school’s first-ever state title, Gulf Shores rising junior linebacker JaMichael Garrett announced his commitment to the Auburn Tigers on Big Cat Weekend.

Ranked as a consensus four-star prospect by scouting services including 247Sports, Rivals, ESPN and On3, Garrett checked in as Alabama’s No. 7 overall recruit according to ESPN’s rankings for the Class of 2026. He’s listed as the country’s No. 112 overall prospect according to 247Sports.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder helped Gulf Shores make history as he racked up 87 total tackles for third-best on the team according to MaxPreps stats. He tied for the team lead with 9.5 sacks to go along with 14 quarterback hurries as well as 26.5 tackles for loss.

Garrett was also credited with a 23-yard interception return for a touchdown, 3 pass breakups, 3 fumble recoveries and 2 forced fumbles on the year.

He wasn’t the only one to make his college decision on Auburn’s biggest recruiting weekend of the year as Shadarius Toodle from Mobile’s Cottage Hill Christian kicked off Saturday’s festivities with his commitment to the Tigers. Also a four-star linebacker, Toodle is ESPN’s third-ranked inside linebacker in the country.

Auburn was the first SEC school to offer Garrett back on Oct. 21, 2023, and his recruitment had been steadily heating up since the spring with 16 fielded offers since April 13. Garrett’s other recent SEC suitors included Mississippi State, Arkansas, South Carolina and Missouri in addition to the defending national champion Michigan Wolverines.

He also announced offers to Ole Miss and Tennessee, but LSU might have had the next-best chance at landing Garrett, who was visiting campus as part of the Tigers’ Bayou Splash earlier in the weekend. A Friday visit with LSU was followed by Saturday’s trip to The Plains where he officially announced his pledge to Auburn.

Garrett’s next task will be to help the Dolphins step up to Class 6A following two seasons at the 5A level. Gulf Shores’ regular-season opener is set for Aug. 23 at home against the Choctawhatchee Indians from Florida.