Kentucky lands 2026 commitment from edge out of Alabama
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Kentucky continued its productive month of June with another commitment for its 2026 recruiting class.
Garrett Witherington, an edge defender from Birmingham, Alabama, is the newest pledge to the Wildcats. He made the announcement in a ceremony on Sunday, but revealed to the Shelby County Reporter that Mark Stoops already knew Witherington was headed to Lexington.
I’m just happy to finally be 100 percent committed,” Witherington said, per Tyler Raley. “I committed earlier this week on Monday and just talking to coaches just reassured myself that it’s home for me.
Out of Briarwood Christian, Witherington is listed at 6-5 and 290 pounds. On the 247Sports Composite, he is rated 3-stars, the No. 37 player in the state of Alabama, No. 115 defensive lineman and No. 1,070 prospect overall in the Class of 2026.
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In May, Witherington named Kentucky in his top 7 teams, along with North Carolina, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech, Mississippi State and Penn State. There were only 5 hats on the table for Sunday’s commitment ceremony, as Vanderbilt and UNC were trimmed from contention.
It’s official! @GarrettW_90 is a Kentucky Wildcat and will be headed to the SEC! pic.twitter.com/mQ1DxGW4Ex
— Tyler Raley (@traley34) June 29, 2025
With Witherington on board, Kentucky now has 13 verbal commitments in its 2026 recruiting class, all coming in the month of June. The class is ranked No. 56 nationally on the Composite, so the UK staff will look to keep the momentum going into July and beyond.
Fans can get a preview of what Witherington brings to the team by watching his highlights in the clip below:
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
