Tyler Clark Reveals Top 3: Which School Is Best Fit for 4-Star?

It's a deep year for defensive tackles in the state of Georgia, and 4-star standout Tyler Clark could be one of the state's hidden gems. 

Clark is the nation's No. 22 defensive tackle in the 2016 cycle and the fifth-best player at his position from his home state.

The 6'3" 290-pounder announced a top three of Georgia, Auburn and Clemson—in that order—on his Twitter account late Tuesday evening. 

But which school of his three leaders provides him with the best fit at the next level?

In terms of opportunity, all three schools have defensive line among their most pressing needs in the 2016 cycle.

Both the SEC schools have offered Clark, while Clemson has yet to pull the trigger, according to his 247Sports profile page.

According to Keith Niebuhr of AuburnUndercover, Clark sees a lot of similarities between his top two schools.

"I really love the atmosphere at Georgia," Clark told Niebuhr. "I like the school, coaches and the team. Georgia coaches really communicate well with me. I love Auburn's atmosphere, too. I like the school, the team and the coaches."

Each of his top three programs brought in strong defensive line classes in the 2015 cycle.

However, a closer look at all three schools reveals that Auburn is the school that may present Clark with the best combination of early playing time and scheme fit. 

The Tigers lost three defensive tackles to graduation from last year's unit, and junior Montravius Adams could be a candidate to test the NFL draft waters next spring.

Plus, the Tigers brought in two defensive tackles in the 2015 class in 3-star JUCO import Maurice Swain and 3-star in-state product Jauntavius Johnson, who is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered last season, according to Wesley Sinor of AL.com.

As Niebuhr notes, Auburn is hoping to sign a monster defensive line class in 2016, with new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp and Tigers defensive line coach Rodney Garner looking to bring in at least three defensive tackles. 

For the record, the Tigers have an early commitment from 3-star Quinnen Williams, but the door remains open for a prospect such as Clark to come in and make an early impact should he elect to head just across the state border for college.

In addition to Clark, Auburn and Georgia are each battling for several impact defensive tackles, such as 5-stars Derrick Brown and Julian Rochester, plus 4-star Antwuan Jackson. 

The Bulldogs seem to have the upper hand with Brown and Rochester at the moment. According to Kipp Adams of Dawgs247, the Bulldogs appear to also be trending with Jackson after his most recent visit to Athens. 

By stating the Bulldogs as his current leader, Clark clearly isn't afraid of coming in and competing for reps if head coach Mark Richt and his staff are able to bring in another strong defensive line group.

However, with accomplished defensive minds such as Muschamp and Garner in charge on the Plains, Auburn can also provide Clark with a great opportunity to reach his full potential at the next level.

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.