Coveted Ole Miss Football Signee Makes Bold Prediction Ahead of Pivotal 2026 Season

Baton Rouge (La.) Central four-star linebacker JaMichael Garrett put pen to paper with Pete Golding and Ole Miss during the Early Signing Period in December after making things official with Rebels.

Garrett, the No. 1 rated linebacker in Louisiana, emerged as one of the most prized uncommitted prospects in the 2026 Recruiting Cycle after reopening his recruitment over the summer where he then flipped to Ole Miss.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder backed off of an Auburn Tigers commitment with the Rebels, LSU Tigers, Tennessee Volunteers, USC Trojans, Clemson Tigers and Vanderbilt Commodores coming in hot.

But Golding and the Ole Miss Rebels made their presence felt in Garrett's recruitment with the program winning out down the stretch.

“Ole Miss, they do a good job at building relationships and making you feel like a priority,” Garrett told Rivals. “Obviously, they just lost a linebacker in their class. Guy that flipped over seven to eight times, so just knowing that they want loyalty and they have stability.

"Two coaches that coached under Nick Saban, and just knowing that Nick Saban, one of the greatest coaches to coach in college football, wanted them guys a part of the staff. Then they dispersed out to start their own program, which has been very successful.”

Now, expectations are rising for Ole Miss with Garrett predicting the Rebels will go to the National Championship in 2026:

Ole Miss 4 star LB Signee JaMichael Garrett: @jamichael97

“Ole Miss is going to the National Championship next year. Merch It.”

Ole Miss made it to the semi-finals this past season. Garrett expects Ole Miss to go further next year. pic.twitter.com/I6adyzpqSY
— Larry Rudolph (@ScoutFball) February 7, 2026

The Rebels are in the midst of a critical offseason in the Magnolia State with the program assembling the No. 2 Transfer Portal Class in America - only trailing LSU after the Tigers inked 43 newcomers via the free agent market.

Now, all eyes are on the Ole Miss program heading into the 2026 season with the Rebels looking to carry their momentum after a magical 2025 campaign with Golding now at the helm.

"The locker room is so fragile, as we all know," Walker Jones, the executive director of the Grove Collective, said to ESPN. "This is the ultimate team sport, and there's no bigger team sport than football [with] so many personalities, so many moving parts.

"You had to hire the guy that can keep the locker room and the coaching staff in sync. It was such a unique situation, first of its kind. There's no blueprint for it."

More Ole Miss News:

Ole Miss Football Pulls Off Historic Recruiting Feat After Landing No. 2 Portal Class

Ole Miss Football Recruiting Notebook: Three Targets Pete Golding Must Land in Year 1

'Growing Optimism' That Ole Miss Football QB Trinidad Chambliss Will Play in 2026

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Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and Ole Miss Rebels On SI: @OleMissOnSI for all coverage surrounding the Ole Miss program.