NEW: The real reason why USC commit is attending Dawg Night

Mark Richt will have his golf cart ready for prospects on July 18 (AJC/Michael Carvell)

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Mark Richt will have his golf cart ready for prospects on July 18 (AJC/Michael Carvell)

One of the most random celebrity recruits to attend UGA's Dawg Night prospect camp will be Velus Jones, Jr.

He’s the 3-star receiver from Saraland, Ala., who is committed to USC.

Jones isn’t really going to UGA’s biggest recruiting event to earn an offer from the Bulldogs – although he wouldn’t mind it. In fact, Jones has never talked to any UGA coaches.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder is mainly going to Dawg Night to … compete.

“My uncle told me about it,” Jones told the AJC. “He said all these (elite recruits) go to Dawg Night. So I want to go there, compete against them, and put on a show.

“I know the top recruits and the top players will be there. I wanted to come to Dawg Night to compete. I feel like I’m just as good as the players there. So that’s why I’m going.”

Does Jones have any serious interest in UGA? “It really all depends,” he said. “Georgia hasn’t offered me or anything. It’s a good school. If they ever talked about offering, I would give them consideration and everything. .

What an offer from UGA mean to Jones? “It would just add on to my list (of offers). When I get close to signing day, I’m going to pick my list of schools. And Georgia is a good school. It all depends, even though I committed to USC. You never know what God has planned for me at the end. I’m pretty good with USC. But you just never know.”

Jones committed to USC last April. Where do things stand between Jones and the Trojans? Is he 100-percent committed? 80 percent?

“I’m not going to give a percentage,” he said. “But anything can happen at any day. You’ve just got to keep your options open. But I’m pretty big with USC. You just never know.”

Jones is rated as a 3-star and the No. 11 overall prospect out of Alabama.

RELATED: The other USC, South Carolina, will also have a commit at Dawg Night. Bryan Edwards, a 4-star from Conway, S.C., who committed to the Gamecocks last spring, will be in Athens on Saturday, per 247sports.com's Ryan Bartow.