LSU Commit Erick Fowler to Visit Texas: Can the Longhorns Flip 4-Star LB?

SAN ANTONIO — Surrounded by those who followed Texas Longhorns football, Erick Fowler wanted to blaze his own path.

Fowler's hometown of Manor, Texas, is roughly a 20-minute drive from the University of Texas campus. His family and friends—and many in his neighborhood—grew up rooting for the Longhorns.

And although there was nothing wrong with that, Fowler felt like there was more out there. He remembers watching TV on a Saturday afternoon and seeing a team that opened his eyes.

"When I was playing Little League, I played running back and linebacker," Fowler said. "I used to always come in and smash people. I watched an LSU game and said, 'Man, that's what I do.' I just started watching them ever since."

The Tigers have been Fowler's favorite team since he was little, and on June 13, the 4-star hybrid outside linebacker/defensive end verbally committed to his favorite team. With a couple of weeks remaining until national signing day, LSU is now hoping to keep him committed.

And Texas is hoping to flip him.

Fowler will take an official visit to Texas this weekend—one week before taking an official to LSU. The next few days will give him an opportunity to weigh both options before putting ink to paper on national signing day, February 3.

"I kind of shied away from UT," Fowler said, discussing Texas and LSU. "My whole family and outside of the family loved UT, so I went and found something different that I liked."

That was then. Now, both schools appear to be on relatively equal playing fields. The good news for Tigers fans is that his favorite team still holds the advantage as of now.

"I'm still committed to LSU," he said, "but there's a lot of pressure coming from a lot of schools. I didn't expect that."

Listed as the nation's No. 5 outside linebacker and the No. 80 overall player in the 2016 class, Fowler was a versatile, all-purpose defender at Manor. He had 55 tackles and five sacks as a senior, but it was his sophomore and junior seasons that helped put him on the map. He recorded 148 tackles and 33.5 sacks during that span.

Per Danny Davis of the Austin American-Statesman, Fowler sacked 40 quarterbacks over his three-year varsity career. The 6'1", 226-pound athlete capped his high school career as a U.S. Army All-American, and he finished last Saturday's U.S. Army All-American Bowl with five tackles and helped the West team defeat the East, 37-9, in front of 39,121 in attendance and millions watching on national television.

Whether it's LSU or Texas, Fowler wants all to know that the winning school will get a player who will play with a high motor and tons of intensity throughout his college career.

"[I'm] hardworking and dedicated ... see ball, go get ball," Fowler said. "I play hard and definitely play with a purpose. You can't find that in other football players. Some just do it for the show and for the cameras. That's not me at all."

Credit: 247Sports.com

LSU needs to hold on to a player like Fowler. They currently have two linebackers committed in Fowler and 4-star outside linebacker Michael Divinity. The Tigers didn't have a linebacker commit in their 2015 class, so for depth reasons, keeping Fowler committed is huge.

Texas, however, had one of the nation's best linebacker classes in 2015, headlined by outside linebackers Malik Jefferson and Anthony Wheeler. The 2016 class features inside linebacker Demarco Boyd, but no other linebackers are committed.

LSU and Texas are the primary contenders in Fowler's process, but he also said Oregon has been recruiting him consistently. Fowler said a final decision will come on signing day, but it'll take a lot for Texas and Oregon to change his mind.

"You can't go wrong with the numbers. They produce NFL players, especially on defense," Fowler said of LSU. "Any position you play, you have a good chance of going to the league with LSU.

"But if [Texas and Oregon] can show me more than that ..."

He left his quote with a shoulder shrug and a smile.

There's hope for Texas. But will hope turn into reality?

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports.com's composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles