Another twist in the recruitment of Gladewater five-star defensive tackle Daylon Mack was not a fortuitous one for the Texas Longhorns, as the defensive MVP of the 2015 Under Armour All-America Game eliminated the Horns on Sunday, according to multiple reports.

Even with the December commitment of Mack's close friend Malik Jefferson, a recent departure apparently played a role in his decision to cancel his planned trip to Texas and remove head coach Charlie Strong's program from consideration:

Says he wanted to play/ Malcom Brown RT @OBWire: Daylon Mack tells OB he's cancelled his #Longhorns official visit. No longer considering TX — Alex Dunlap (@AlexDunlapNFL) January 11, 2015

The odd thing about Mack eliminating Texas for that reason is that Brown was widely expected to go pro all season, making his recent choice to jump to the NFL completely unsurprising. And sophomore defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway returns next season -- he was only marginally less disruptive than Brown in 2014 as he flashes his prodigious upside for the first time. If Mack wanted a space eater next to him on the line, then senior Desmond Jackson would fit that role after returning from the foot injury that ended his first attempt at a senior season.

In any case, Auburn has once again emerged as the competitor for Texas in an important recruitment, as Mack will now visit the Tigers on the weekend he was planning to visit the Longhorns.

The recent hire of Will Muschamp as the defensive coordinator on The Plains was a factor in that decision:

ICYMI, #ESPN300 No. 15 Daylon Mack making OV to #Auburn Jan 23. He has a quality relationship with Will Muschamp dating back 2-3 years. — Gerry Hamilton (@HamiltonESPN) January 11, 2015

Muschamp recruited the explosive defensive tackle when he was the head coach at Florida.

Besides the benefits of that relationship with Muschamp, Scipio Tex has a take that reads a little more cynical in between the lines on why the Tigers would suddenly jump into contention:

Whenever Auburn is introduced late into a recruitment after never having played a substantial role in it up to that point, it's...interesting. Ha ha. Oh, man.

To be fair to Auburn, head coach Gus Malzahn's program had been talked about as a potential visit destination within the last year, though it never materialized.

It's a disappointing development for Texas, however, which seemed to have an excellent shot of landing Mack after he decommitted from Texas A&M only hours after Jefferson committed to Texas. Ultimately, the lack of a recent visit probably hurt the 'Horns, as did surging TCU, which was named as Mack's leader recently and will also receive a visit.

Right now, however, the Aggies may once again be the leader after defensive coordinator John Chavis away from LSU. The Tigers were dropped from consideration at this point in favor of yet another visit back to Aggieland.

Even though it ultimately won't impact the Longhorns, Mack's recruitment may well feature a few more swings in the coming weeks. Texas, for its part, is probably now done at the defensive tackle position with only one pledge in the 2015, that of Houston Cy Falls defensive tackle Du'Vonta Lampkin.