Dexter Lawrence Sets Decision Date: Which Program Is Best Fit for 5-Star DT?

The race to land 5-star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence is nearing its conclusion as he announced that he will make his commitment on Dec. 14, according to Luke Stampini of GatorBait.

The nation’s No. 3 overall prospect and the No. 2 defensive tackle has taken official visits to Clemson and Florida, with trips to Alabama and Ohio State on deck. He may take his fifth official visit, but that has yet to be planned out.

Those four programs, along with in-state ACC members NC State and North Carolina, are among the schools that are pursuing the 6’5”, 330-pounder from Wake Forest, North Carolina.

With his recruitment beginning to take shape, which program provides the best fit for Lawrence? 

Given his size, power and skill set—Lawrence, who registered 111 tackles and 15 sacks over his last two seasons—would be a welcomed addition for any of those programs.

Alabama presents an intriguing fit schematically, as Lawrence could be an ideal run-stuffer in the middle of head coach Nick Saban’s defensive line. However, the Tide have recruited well over the years and appear to have a budding star in current true freshman nose tackle Daron Payne.

Clemson is in a similar situation with promising young defensive tackles on the roster such as true freshman Christian Wilkins.

As Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts detailed, Lawrence—who is scheduled to visit Columbus for the Buckeyes' showdown against Michigan State on Nov. 21—admits that he’s not as familiar with the Buckeyes program as some of the other schools in his group of leaders. Additionally, Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer signed two defensive tackles in the 2015 cycle and has 4-star Malik Barrow already committed in the current class.

According to Ourlads, the Wolfpack have four underclassmen among their top five defensive tackles. The rival Tar Heels are in a similar position with five of their top six defensive tackles being either freshmen or sophomores.

In terms of fit and opportunity, it’s hard to go against what Florida can offer Lawrence.

The Gators have an appealing depth chart, as displayed by Ourlads. Additionally, the Gators have yet to land a pledge from a defensive tackle in the 2016 cycle.

Lawrence took an official visit to Gainesville in September for the Tennessee game and as Stampini notes, he took notice of what head coach Jim McElwain and his staff were telling him. 

“That [visit] was pretty good,” Lawrence told 247Sports’ Ross Martin [via Stampini]. “They just showed me their plan for the whole football program, the new facilities he’s building, and how they plan to improve each year.”

Add in the tradition in which the Gators have developed with defensive linemen in recent years, and they have a strong pitch that may be too tough for Lawrence to turn down in the end.

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