ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Five-star defensive tackle Daylon Mack remains one of the most coveted uncommitted prospects in the class of 2015, and he showed why at last week’s Under Armour All-America game.
Mack earned co-MVP honors by recording 7 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery for Team Armour in a losing effort. His impact along the defensive line was obvious, and the schools previously pursuing Mack were given plenty of reason to intensify their final sales pitches when the ongoing recruiting dead period comes to an end.
A large handful of schools are still desperately vying for his services in the coming years, but following an All-America practice last week Mack didn’t shy away from admitting that TCU remains his top choice during the dead period.
“Coach (Gary) Patterson, he’s been really good at TCU. He’s gotten them really established in the Big 12, and I feel they’re going to be one of the top teams in that conference for years to come. They always play great defense,” Mack told SDS. “If I had to commit today I’d say TCU.”
If you’re looking at those comments from an SEC perspective, they’re unsettling to say the least. Not only is one of this class’ top talents considering a school from another power conference within an “SEC state,” but pretty much every point Mack made in defense of his decision is spot-on. It’s almost impossible to argue with his logic.
But the recruiting dead period will last until Jan. 15, and National Signing Day isn’t until Feb. 4, meaning there’s still plenty of time for Mack to change his mind. He admitted he’s still considering the SEC “a lot” after a practice last week, but has since eliminated LSU from his list of finalists upon John Chavis’ departure from the program.
“I’m not gonna lie, if Chavis would’ve stayed at LSU, I probably would’ve gone to LSU,” Mack told the Advocate late last week.
Mack had once eliminated Texas A&M — Chavis’ new landing spot — from his list of the schools he’s considering, but with Chavis now heading to Texas A&M Mack is once again interested in the Aggies. He has a visit to College Station scheduled for Jan. 24, right in the thick of the final stretch between the end of the dead period and Signing Day.
When previously asked about his relationship with Chavis, Mack called their bond “a good one,” but that was before Chavis changed jobs within the SEC West. His fondness for the Aggies new defensive coordinator is matched only by his fondness for Patterson, who inspired a grin from Mack as the star defensive tackle spoke of the Horned Frogs’ head coach during last week’s All-America festivities.
It appears the SEC’s best chance to woo Mack away from TCU is not a single program, but a single coordinator — Chavis. Mack went from dropping A&M to slotting them among his short list of contenders, and dropped LSU from what was once his “final two” to out of the running entirely.
The Mack sweepstakes appears to have turned from a “TCU vs. SEC” narrative to a battle between Patterson and Chavis. Patterson holds the edge as the dead period winds down, but there’s still plenty to be decided. And Mack is in no rush to make his decision.
“I’m considering my options,” he told SDS. “No rush.”
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
