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Texas Longhorns OLB target Dylan Moses looking for the "best fit"

A National Signing Day decision next February on ESPN is currently in the plans for the nation's top prospect.

By Wescott Eberts
Dylan Moses at The Opening Finals in 2015
Dylan Moses at The Opening Finals in 2015
Student Sports

When a long recruiting process finally comes to an end for Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy linebacker Dylan Moses, he'll select the "best fit" for him. Right now, that lucky school could come from the five schools currently at the top of his list, a group that includes the Texas Longhorns.

Finding the best fit means several different things for the 6'2, 220-pounder who has been in the national spotlight for several years now and committed to the LSU Tigers way back in 2013 after receiving an offer from the Tigers as an eighth grader the year before.

"The best fit is mainly... I mean, it's football, but at the same time I would like to have a relationship with my coaches -- basically have that type of family thing, you know," Moses told ESPN. "You know, I would like to play on a good defense, you know, have, like, people surrounded by me that I know is gonna' make plays if I don't make 'em. You know, just be secure ... I want to feel at home, so that's just the best thing for me."

Moses, who recently transferred from Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab to IMG Academy, the noted prep sports factory, also has a timeline to narrow his list and make his final decision.

"I'll probably come out with a top three before the season starts, probably in, I'ma say, July or August," Moses said. "I want to come up to ESPN to do my commitment kind of like how Rashan Gary did [on National Signing Day]."

The surprising omission from the top five Moses mentioned at the Under Armour All-America Future 50 event was the LSU Tigers, the hometown school from which he decommitted in August.

"Dropping them out of the top five is mainly because of the coaching situation with everybody," Moses told NOLA.com. "First it was (LSU coach) Les Miles whether he was going to keep his job or not now it's Coach (Kevin) Steele, he's just leaving. He's going to Auburn, that's just crazy. I'm thinking, if I ever just like committed there and something were to happen like I'd basically just be stuck at a point. I'm just waiting on them to get their stuff together and then I'll start looking really deep into them again."

After Miles signed an elite class in February and with the addition of new defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, it's possible, and perhaps even likely, that LSU will quickly climb back into the top group for Moses.

The other schools on his list right now include the Alabama Crimson Tide, Florida Gators, Georgia Bulldogs, and UCLA Bruins, in addition to the Longhorns. Moses told ESPN that the Alabama is currently his leader.

Beyond making the top five for Moses, Texas has some positive momentum with the star prospect -- after his decision to decommit from LSU, his father tweeted the following:

Head coach Charlie Strong and his staff then got an assist from linebacker Malik Jefferson, the noted recruiter and "unofficial mayor of Austin":

Moses also tweeted a Texas edit on Saturday:

With Jefferson working on Moses and Jeffrey McCulloch, the No. 4 outside linebacker in the 2016 class, also headed to Austin in June, Moses could team with those two to form an elite linebacking corps at Texas -- just imagine Jefferson and Moses playing together as the pure linebackers and McCulloch working as the Fox end. McCulloch could also become an effective recruiter of Moses because of his high-level intelligence and maturity.

Competing against LSU and Alabama will be a difficult task with Moses -- just as it will be with No. 1 defensive tackle Marvin Wilson -- but don't count out Strong and linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary. Or Jefferson, for that matter. They can be quite persuasive.

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