Briarwood Christian DL breaks down loaded Top 7

Garrett Witherington has a tough decision to make with a possible summer commitment on the horizon.

Witherington attends Briarwood Christian High School in Birmingham, Alabama, and he garners a three-star rating from multiple recruiting sites at the moment as a defensive lineman prospect. The 2026 recruit is currently considering seven schools at the moment and plans to officially visit Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Stanford and Penn State.

The Nittany Lions recently hosted the Alabama product for an unofficial visit and put themselves right in the thick of things for the rising prospect.

“Coach (James) Franklin and all those guys are really great guys,” Witherington said. “I can really tell they know a lot about football. and they’ve just called me every few days and just talked to me a lot. They’re just really good people that know a lot about football. Their facilities are real nice. I took it unofficial visit there last month and just seeing everything in person is just crazy. Seeing how their stadium in two years is going to be the biggest stadium in college football. It’d be real cool to play in the biggest stadium you can.”

Mississippi State also hosted Witherington during the spring. The Bulldogs actually got him on campus twice during the spring and has remained in contact with him.

“A really big thing about them is they’re real close,” Witherington told Touchdown Alabama. “So them and Georgia Tech or I guess Nashville, Vanderbilt’s pretty close to. But all those schools are pretty easily drivable. I wouldn’t say that’s a big factor. But it’s definitely positive for me being able to drive home on a weekend and not feel like I got jet lag or something like that. I actually went to two unofficial visits for the spring. I went to one of the practices, and I went to a spring game. So, it was real nice seeing everything. And again their facilities are real nice too. Coach (David) Turner, came by school and he’s just a great guy. I talked to him also probably once every few days, him and coach (Jeff) Lebby. So, just really good people that again know a lot about football.”

Kentucky is making a great effort to make a push for Witherington as well.

“Just again great people that know a lot about football,” said Witherington. “This decision is gonna be real tough for me because everybody’s just so great. Coach Brad White, he came to my house weeks ago for an in-home visit and just talking to him was great. My family loved him, just having him at the house was just great. And then coach Anwar Stewart, he’s coming by my school this Thursday. He’s again just another really good guy. Then obviously, they are in what people say is the best conference in college football.”

Vanderbilt is the third SEC program in the mix for Witherington. The program stands out to him because of its academics and recent football surge.

“With Vanderbilt, a big thing about them is just their school. My parents always tell me to get the best education and degree possible just in case football doesn’t always work out. My dad is really big on me getting a big education. So, Vanderbilt’s got one of the top educations that I could get, and they’re still really good at football and they’re in the SEC.”

Georgia Tech is not an SEC program, but it is close to Birmingham. Distance from home, academics and Witherington’s relationships with the Yellow Jackets make them a top choice for him.

“I’ve been talking to coach(Kyle) Pope, coach (Brent) Key and most recently Jess Simpson since I moved up to 285. He’s been talking to me a little bit more because he’s more of a defensive tackle coach. The education is great there too. And another thing is it’s real close to home.”

Stanford will be first up when it comes to getting an official visit from Witherington.

“Stanford, again, is just the best education you could probably get. And all those guys are super cool. They’re one of my newer offers, but I’m still really interested. And they are my first official visit that I go to. I actually go there this weekend.”

North Carolina is creating new waves in Chapel Hill with Bill Belichick as the Tra Heels’ head football coach. The potential to play under him is something Witherington does not take for granted.

“Coach Belichick would be real cool to play for, just knowing all the connections and all that kind of stuff he has with the NFL, just because he’s one of the greatest coaches that were in the NFL. Coach Lance Thompson, he came by my school to talk to me, and he’s a real cool guy. It was cool just hearing him talk and all the good things he had to say about North Carolina. But the education, again, is real good there too.”

Watch Garret Witherington Highlights Below:

GET THE BEST ALABAMA FOOTBALL INSIDER INFORMATION AND RECRUITING COVERAGE TODAY! SIGN UP HERE TO UNLOCK OUR SUBSCRIBER ONLY CONTENT!*