Georgia football fans are still reeling after five-star Jackson Cantwell chose to commit to Miami (FL) over UGA this past week. This news clearly was unexpected as most thought Cantwell would pick the Bulldogs, but the fact that he is the No. 1 player in the country made this announcement that much more difficult to overcome.
But what if Georgia was just a few days away from potentially earning a different commitment from an offensive lineman?
4-star OL Jared Smith set to announce his commitment
Jared Smith is a four-star offensive lineman from Stockbridge, GA. According to the 247Sports composite rankings, Smith is the No. 343 overall player in the country. He also is the No. 43 player from the Peach State as well as the No. 27 offensive lineman in the 2026 recruiting class.
Smith shared on Saturday that he is ready to announce his commitment, which is scheduled for May 23. Georgia is one of the four schools he will decide between on that day along with Rutgers, Georgia Tech and Auburn.
Not only is Georgia one of Smith's four finalists, but they appear to be one of his top two schools as well. 247Sports has the Bulldogs and Rutgers as the two teams with a "warm" label on his profile while On3 heavily favors both Georgia and Rutgers as well, with UGA as the overall favorite.
However, there have been no official predictions in Smith's recruitment yet, so anything is still possible.
A commitment from Smith would not live up to the same hype that it would have had Cantwell picked Georgia a few days ago. But that shouldn't take anything away from his commitment if he chooses Georgia because he is a very solid player and someone that could do wonders in Georgia's system.
And there isn't much better than beating Auburn and Georgia Tech for recruits.