Garner linebacker AJ Randle narrows college list to six, will commit May 21

Garner High has another chance to put Wake County on the national recruiting map. Linebacker AJ Randle, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound 2027 prospect, trimmed his list to Florida, Georgia, Miami, NC State, Ohio State and South Carolina and plans to announce his college decision on May 21.

Randle’s profile keeps rising because the production matches the rankings. 247Sports lists him as the No. 95 player nationally in the Composite, the No. 6 linebacker in the country and the No. 5 prospect in North Carolina. As a junior at Garner, he made 84 tackles, including six for loss, with one sack, three forced fumbles and one interception in 13 games. He also chipped in on offense with 20 carries for 119 yards and four touchdowns, plus five catches for 111 yards and two more scores.

The in-state angle centers on NC State. Among Randle’s final six, the Wolfpack is the only program keeping him inside North Carolina, which gives Raleigh the clearest path to keep one of Wake County’s top recruits from heading elsewhere. Florida, Georgia, Miami, Ohio State and South Carolina each bring national weight, but NC State remains the local program with the strongest hometown case.

South Carolina has already made a strong push. The Gamecocks hosted Randle for his first official visit on May 1, and he has built relationships with head coach Shane Beamer, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Clayton White, and assistant Trey Money. His remaining official visits are set for Miami on June 5, Ohio State on June 12 and Georgia on June 19. He also took an unofficial visit to Texas on April 11.

For Garner, Randle’s rise says as much about the program as it does about the player. The school won a football state championship in 1987 and has spent decades fielding competitive teams in the Greater Neuse River conference, but Randle now stands out as one of the most high-profile recruits to come through the Wake County school in years.

His athletic background adds another layer. Randle runs track and has placed in hurdles events at the NCHSAA state meet, reinforcing the speed and explosiveness that show up on the football field. He is also the son of Nikkie Bouyer-Randle, a Clemson track and field Hall of Famer, and his brother Brandon Bouyer-Randle played linebacker at Michigan State, Texas Tech and UConn before spending time in the NFL.