Steve Sarkisian received the commitment of five-star wide receiver Easton Royal in November. Though Royal is still committed to the Longhorns, Lane Kiffin and his LSU staff are pushing hard to flip the Louisiana native.
247Sports college football recruiting analyst Tom Loy gave a massive update on Royal’s commitment status with Texas.
Will Easton Royal Flip His Commitment From Steve Sarkisian’s Texas to LSU?
“Whether everybody’s wrong or not, every single person I talked to around Easton Royal says he’s gonna eventually flip to LSU,” Loy said. “It’s just where he wants to be. He’s gonna be a Tiger. Lane Kiffin’s gonna get it done. Unless everybody’s completely misreading the situation, everybody I talked to makes it seem like it’s as close to a done deal and lock that he’s gonna eventually make the flip from the Longhorns to the Tigers.
“Who knows, maybe we’re wrong. It’s a bunch of drama for nothing. Eastern Royal just feels different. There’s something about this kid that just feels at home at LSU. It’s where he’s gonna eventually end up. Whether it’s Texas keeping him or Tennessee or Florida or Ohio State or anybody trying to flip and make a run at him, I just feel like this is either going to be a choice of sticking with Texas or flipping to LSU.”
According to the Rivals Industry Rankings, Royal is the No. 1 recruit in Louisiana, which is why Kiffin’s staff is doing everything possible to keep him home. The five-star player is also the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2027 class and the No. 4 player in the nation.
Royal surpassed 2,000 all-purpose yards with 29 touchdowns as a junior last season. This performance earned him Louisiana 5A Offensive MVP honors and first-team all-state recognition. He also won the fastest man competition with an unofficial 4.29-second effort in the 40-yard dash at an Under Armour All-Star event.
Royal is expected to be a big weapon for the Texas offense, which finished last season with a 79.9 score in the PFSN College Football Offense Impact Metric. Losing a player of his caliber would be a big loss for the Longhorns’ 2027 class, which ranks No. 6 in the SEC, according to Rivals. He is the only wide receiver commit and the sole five-star commit for Sarkisian in the cycle.
Besides LSU, schools like Florida, Ole Miss, and Tennessee are also actively involved in Royal’s recruitment.
“I won’t cut relationships off, and I will take visits, but Texas is the school that feels right for me,” Royal told Rivals reporter Chad Simmons.
Royal’s recruitment will be worth watching until he either completely shuts it down or signs with Texas in December. The Longhorns’ 2027 class has nine other committed players besides him.
