BRADENTON, Fla. — Rahshaun Smith – the secret Dawg Night visitor – may have made a surprise appearance on UGA’s campus in July, but that doesn’t mean he is considering committing to the school.

Smith, who is rated as the No. 2 inside linebacker in the country, told the AJC on Saturday night that he isn’t strongly considering UGA.

“I would definitely say they are too late in the game at this point,” Smith said.

“Georgia hadn’t recruited me all before then and once I got there, they were definitely excited for me to be there and started to recruit me.”

At the time of his Dawg Night visit, the 6-foot-3, 239-pounder was still committed to Clemson.

That changed earlier this month when he de-committed from the school. Smith says the reason for his de-commitment was to open up all of his options.

“I just wanted to make sure I’m making the right decision for myself,” he said. “That was the main reason why I stepped back from Clemson – just to make sure I was making the right decision. It’s not a four-year decision, it’s a 40-year decision.”

Even though he de-committed from Clemson, he is still considering the Tigers along with LSU and Auburn.

Smith made it clear that he is high on Auburn because of two guys: defensive coordinator Will Muschamp and last year’s No. 1 prospect, Auburn linebacker Byron Cowart.

“(Coach Muschamp has) been working me since I was in eighth grade when he was at Florida,” Smith said. “When you talk about some of the best coaches in the country, Muschamp’s name is going to come up. Also, me and Byron Cowart have a real tight relationship. I talk to him a lot. He always tells me that if you want to reach your final goal, coach Muschamp can definitely put you in the right place.”

As far as LSU, his IMG Academy teammate Saivion Smith is committed to the school. Smith, a 5-star cornerback, has been recruiting Rahshaun ever since he became an LSU Tiger — it’s one of the main reasons why he is high on the school.

“It actually started with Saivion recruiting me at first,” Rahshaun said. “They offered me about a month after Savion had committed. I built a little bit of a relationship with them. They didn’t sign a linebacker in 2015, so that’s very interesting to me and they are losing at least three guys and they want to sign at least four. When I take my official, we’ll see how it goes.”

Rahshaun will take official visits to Auburn, LSU and Clemson. He doesn’t know which two schools will get the fourth and fifth visit, but he did mention that Oregon and Oklahoma are trying hard to be a part of the lucky five.

He will announce his commitment at the Under Armour All-America game on Jan. 2, 2016.

— Staff writer Jeff Sentell conducted the interview for this story