Auburn freshman Jamonta Waller arrested after Mississippi high school senior prank

Auburn freshman edge rusher Jamonta Waller was arrested Thursday in Mississippi on the campus of his former high school, an Auburn spokesperson confirmed Monday.

The arrest came in connection to an alleged senior prank at Picayune Memorial High School in Picayune, Mississippi, where Waller attended before enrolling at Auburn in January.

The Picayune School District Campus Police and Picayune Police Department arrested more than 20 people Thursday at the high school, according to WLOX, a TV station based out of Biloxi.

Picayune Police Chief Joe Quave confirmed to AL.com that the school district police are leading the investigation.

News of the arrest began circulating Saturday on various recruiting message boards and Reddit pages.

AL.com made several requests to the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Office, Pearl River County Clerk of Courts and the Pearl River County School District. All of those agencies have either not responded as of Monday afternoon or have been unable to provide further information.

WLOX reported 18 of the 21 arrested were charged as adults with “malicious mischief.” The students were booked into the Pearl River County Jail until “parents came to post bond,” according to WLOX.

Auburn students began to leave campus last week, which was final exam week for the school. Auburn held graduation ceremonies over the weekend.

Waller committed to Auburn on Nov. 11, shortly after Auburn beat Arkansas 48-10 that night in Fayetteville, Arkansas. A former four-star recruit, Waller signed on Dec. 20 and is the sixth highest-rated player in Auburn’s No. 8 ranked incoming freshmen class.

He received praise from several coaches including head coach Hugh Freeze as he participated in spring practices with the team. Waller recorded one tackle in Auburn’s spring game on April 6.

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com