On Thursday, the Clemson Tigers defense took a big hit when five-star LB Rahshaun Smith decommitted from the program.
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The Clemson Tigers defense took a big hit Thursday with the decommitment of the top 2016 inside linebacker Rahshaun Smith (IMG Academy/Bradenton, Fla.) He made the announcement via Twitter earlier in the day.
Smith is the No. 55 player in his class, the top inside linebacker, and the No. 11 player in the state of Florida per the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
— Shaq Smith (@Nextlevel_shaq) August 6, 2015
The reason for his decommitment is that he wanted to visit other schools, which is something Clemson does not allow after a recruit has committed to their program per a report from USA Today.
For Clemson, defensive coordinator Brent Venables handled Smith’s recruitment, who committed to the program on March 26, 2015. Currently, Smith has 33 offers on the table and most recently he took visits to Clemson, Georgia, Auburn, and LSU in that order. He is also scheduled to visit Auburn again on November 14.
Currently, the 2016 Clemson class ranks No. 27 nationally and No. 5 in the ACC per the 247Sports Team Rankings with running back Tavien Feaster (Spartanburg./Spartanburg, SC) is now the lone five-star commitment in the class.
Smith is a very efficient tackler. Especially on running plays, one of his strengths is his ability to read where the hole is going to be and then filling it before a big play happens.
This is a big loss for the Tigers as it takes away a player who could have thrived in the ACC. Especially against a run-heavy team like Boston College, he could have had the chance to make a big impact and put up impressive numbers.
Where will he go? Judging by his recent visits, I’d say that Auburn has a good shot at landing him. With a visit already in the books and one coming up, there is no doubt the interest is there.
Next: Top 5 ACC Defensive POY Candidates for 2015
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