After dropping some hints about going out of state, Georgia’s No. 1-rated outside linebacker appeared to have a change of heart on Wednesday.

Jaleel Laguins, a 4-star linebacker from Oconee County High School, committed to UGA over Auburn, among others schools, in a ceremony with family and friends.

The 6-foot-2, 213-pounder has lived in the Athens area since birth. Laguins dropped some hints to the AJC on the eve of his decision that he might be going far away from UGA. But it may have been just to add some drama to his announcement.

“Maybe it’s not the hometown that’s best for me,” Laguins told the AJC. “Everybody wants you to stay at home. Maybe it’s best for me to branch out as a man and grow as a man and develop as a man, so I need to get away from home so I can think on my own.

“I won’t have my mom waking me up every morning. Yes, I do love my family and I’m not trying to get away from them necessarily, but at the same time I do feel like I need to branch out and grow as a man.”

Laguins is commitment No. 16 for UGA’s 2016 recruiting class.