4-star LB Jamichael Garrett intrigued by chance to team up with NC State S Ronnie Royal III
Jamichael Garrett grew up in the same city as NC State safety signee Ronnie Royal III. They teamed up at Gulf Shores (Ala.) High, won a 5A state championship in Alabama last fall and now have dreams of potentially playing together in college.
The Wolfpack offered the four-star sophomore linebacker April 29 when safeties coach Joe DeForest visited Gulf Shores. On3 considers Garrett the No. 111 recruit in the 2026 class, and he’s interested in the Wolfpack.
DeForest stopped by the 6-2, 200-pound linebacker’s school to meet with Royal, who will graduate high school and join NC State this summer after signing with the program in December, and offer the elite sophomore.
Garrett knows how close the Wolfpack assistant is with his former teammate, and that piqued his interest.
“My first impression was ‘Wow,’” Garrette said. “You can tell he’s a great guy just talking to him and how close he and Ronnie seem. I feel like, one day, me and his relationship can be like that and, potentially, I could be going to the same college as Ronnie.”
Royal went viral on social media last year when he hauled in a one-hand interception during his senior season state championship win. Garrett played a big part in that play, coming through the line on a blitz that almost ended in a sack.
The linebacker said Royal makes plays like that all the time in practice, and he was proud to see the safety secure the turnover on the biggest stage possible.
They have been talking about NC State for a while now, and they have the opportunity to team up again if the elite linebacker chose the Pack. He considers Royal a big brother.
“He told me he loved it when he visited up there,” Garrett said. “I joked to him about it ‘Hey man, put me onto NC State. We can play together in college.’ He always was like ‘Man, I’m not going to put you on NC State. You’re going to work hard to get that offer.’ And I ended up working hard and then they ended up giving me the offer.”
Garrett is looking for a program with a great culture and coaches that will develop him for the NFL. He also wants to find a scheme that looks similar to his high school defense and puts him in position to both blitz and cover running backs out of the backfield.
A few schools are starting to stand out in his recruitment, but the sophomore is keeping an open mind as he picks up new offers. LSU, Auburn, Michigan and others have all extended scholarships.
The linebacker has NC State’s camp schedule and plans on making a trip up to Raleigh once Royal arrives on campus. During that visit, he will start building a deeper connection with the program beyond his friendship with his former teammate.
“I want to know more about the culture of NC State,” Garrett said. “I want to know a lot about their academics…and I want to have the same relationship that Ronnie has with the coaches because I feel like relationships are key when you’re getting recruited by a school.”
On3 considers Garrett the No. 12 linebacker in the country and the No. 6 prospect in Alabama’s 2026 class. He recorded 87 total tackles (26.5 for loss) and 9.5 sacks as a sophomore.
The post 4-star LB Jamichael Garrett intrigued by chance to team up with NC State S Ronnie Royal III appeared first on On3.
