Texas still in the mix for LSU DE/OLB commit Erick Fowler

Just when it looked like the Texas Longhorns might be out of if with LSU Tigers defensive end/outside linebacker commit Erick Fowler, things took another turn over the weekend.

Coming out of an official visit to Baton Rouge on January 22 with his entire family, multiple interviews given by family members made it sound like his mother was much more on board with her son going out of state to play his college football than she had been previously.

In fact, for much of the week it seemed that Texas head coach Charlie Strong wasn't going to be able to use his in-home visit with the family, but that ended up happening on Saturday to keep the Longhorns afloat and indicate that perhaps there wasn't as much agreement in the Fowler household as there appeared to be in the immediate aftermath of the LSU official visit.

As a refresher, Fowler himself told the Austin American-Statesman in early January that her overwhelming preference was for him to go down the road to Austin and play at Texas.

Here's the latest from the Football Brainiacs:

I've spoken to folks close to Erick and it is sounding more and more like after some family discussions and the weekend visit from coach Strong, Texas has taken a lead here. My sources did say that LSU isn't out of this one and right now Erick is not talking to many people regarding his recruitment (which includes some folks closest to him) but what I was told makes me feel that Texas is in a good spot here.

Though much of the immediate Fowler family cheers for the Longhorns, at least one aunt is currently quite vocal about her support for the Tigers:

@erick_fowler your favorite Auntie has her Purple and Gold ready!!! I don't look good in Orange! #GeauxErick #LSU ♡♡ pic.twitter.com/ai0wdLgEQr

— Camille Fowler Lash (@TheCamillelash) February 1, 2016

So there's another layer of drama with this whole situation.

The most famous (infamous?) family power struggle in the Internet era of recruiting might be the story of former Alabama safety Landon Collins, whose mother was visibly upset during his public announcement and went as far as to express his verbal displeasure with his decision.

And three years ago, Florida running back Alex Collins had his National Letter of Intent papers confiscated by his mother, who wanted him to sign with hometown Miami. The following day, Collins was able to secure a signature from his father to allow him to sign with Arkansas, where he went on to star for the Razorbacks.

Could a scenario like that play out again in the Austin area?

It's certainly possible if Fowler isn't able to come to a mutual resolution with his mother over the next several days.

On one hand, LSU is his dream school. On the other, dealing with an unhappy mother for the next three to five years isn't that great of a proposition either.