Auburn Tigers 4-Star Commit JaMichael Garrett To Flip To Colorado Buffaloes? Recruiting

Four-star linebacker recruit JaMichael Garrett committed to the Auburn Tigers in July of 2024, but the Colorado Buffaloes and coach Deion Sanders are pushing to host Garrett on an official visit in the near future.

Garrett is from Alabama, and he has transferred from Gulf Shores High School to Auburn High School for his senior season. The elite recruit is clearly serious in his commitment to Auburn and coach Hugh Freeze, and flipping him to Colorado will be no small feat for the Buffaloes coaching staff.

Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze greets fans during Tiger Walk before Auburn Tigers take on Oklahoma Sooners at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Most recently, Garrett was on Auburn's campus as the Tigers hosted a top-10 basketball matchup against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Although Garrett has visited Auburn multiple times in the spring, he has still kept in communication with the Buffaloes.

Sanders and the Buffaloes are not the only school attempting to flip Garret off of his commitment to Auburn. According to 247Sports, the Oregon Ducks and Miami Hurricanes are also recruiting Garrett with hopes of hosting the Auburn commit for an official visit over the summer.

Garrett is currently ranked as the No. 8 linebacker in the country and the No. 10 recruit from Alabama, according to 247Sports. Regardless of position, Garrett is the No. 152 overall prospect in 247Sports' rankings.

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How likely is a potential flip? At the moment, the Buffaloes have a lot of work to do. With distance clearly on Auburn's side, can Sanders convince Garrett to leave the south and play his college football in Boulder, Colorado?

Not only does Garrett seem securely committed to Auburn, but he appears to be one of the bigger peer recruiters of the 2026 recruiting class.

The Colorado Buffaloes and coach Deion Sanders have used a combination of high school recruiting and the transfer portal when filling out the roster. In 2025, Colorado signed 14 recruits out of high school, and the Buffaloes landed 17 commitments when the transfer portal opened after the 2024 season.

Nov 29, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders runs onto the field before the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Folsom Field. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Sanders has addressed criticisms about Colorado's recruiting, and he spoke about the Buffaloes strategy for talent acquisition at Big 12 Media Days prior to last season.

"To you all that say we only go in the portal, we signed 17 high school players last year and 13 played. When we signed a kid out of high school, the expectancy is for him to play. All you kids in high school right now, when we sign you, we want you to play," Sanders said in his press conference.

Still, the Buffaloes' 2025 recruiting class was ranked No. 2 in the Big 12 only behind TCU, according to On3. With a few months to go before the Early National Signing Period in December, Colorado and coach Sanders do not yet have a commitment in the recruiting class of 2026.