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The Texas Longhorns suffered the first post-Malikmas recruiting disappointing on Saturday when former Texas A&M Aggies defensive tackle commit Daylon Mack released his top two schools on Twitter and the Longhorns didn't make the cut:
My top two schools are LSU and TCU #NoOrder #GeauxTigers #GoFrogs
— THEE MACK TRUCK (@DaylonMack) December 20, 2014
Of course, it shouldn't have been that much of a surprise, as the five-star Gladewater product has taken visits to both LSU and TCU in recent weeks, but hasn't tripped to Texas since early 2013.
Fortunately, news followed not long thereafter that Mack will be taking an official visit to Austin before making his decision, giving the Longhorns a chance to eventually land a signature from the elite defensive tackle:
'15 Gladewater 5-star DT Daylon Mack will take an official visit to Texas on Jan. 23rd. #HookEm pic.twitter.com/yzTMSS6TRx
— Justin Wells (@justinwells2424) December 20, 2014
Unless the 6'1, 330-pounder schedules any other official visits -- he still has two left if he wants -- then the trip to see head coach Charlie Strong and his staff may be his last before he decides, which is often a good sign for that school.
One potential issue is that Mack hasn't had much of a chance to develop a relationship with the Texas coaching staff. Defensive line coach Chris Rumph had an in-home visit with Mack recently and has been in contact with the state's top defensive tackle, but Strong has not had and will not have much of an opportunity to get to know Mack other than on the official visit.
The key for Texas are the relationships between Mack and five-star linebacker commit Malik Jefferson and four-star wide receiver commit DeAndre McNeal, the Mesquite Poteet teammates who changed the trajectory of the program with their Friday commitments.
Jefferson will be on campus and able to help show Mack around the facilities that he hasn't seen for a while, while McNeal said on Friday that Mack is "next on our board."
There will also be time to further consolidate the Malikmentum from Friday, as star Gilmer cornerback Kris Boyd will announce his decision on Christmas, with the Longhorns trending heavily for him in the 247Sports Crystal Ball.
The announcement of Mack's top two on Saturday arrested some of the momentum for Texas in his Crystal Ball, but the connections between the Gladewater star and the Mesquite Poteet teammates may still prove too much to overcome for those two other schools, especially since Mack did grow up with an appreciation of the Longhorns.