The Texas Longhorns enter the end of July hanging onto five-star wide receiver Easton Royal for dear life. One SEC rival in LSU remains in hot pursuit of him on the recruiting trail. Especially with Royal being from the Bayou State.
Steve Sarkisian and Lane Kiffin have quite the recruiting battle on their hands as head coaches. Sark also has assistants LaAllan Clark and Chris Jackson to lean into in the effort to keep Royal.
However, Kiffin’s presence isn’t the only thing to worry about among Longhorn fans here. Turns out there’s a new, surprising SEC threat lurking to swoop up Royal per one national insider.
The SEC School Now Aiming to Land Easton Royal
National recruiting analyst/insider for On3 Steve Wiltfong continues to monitor Royal’s recruitment. The wideout has remained solid on Texas since November despite some late pushes from LSU.
But now there’s a third to watch here, per Wiltfong.
“Florida is the third school that continues to push for the elite playmaker,” Wiltfong wrote in his report Monday.
That’s right, the Gators under new head coach Jon Sumrall are aiming to pull off their first massive recruiting coup together. Plus continue their own recruiting heater out in Gainesville.
How Florida Could Swoop up Easton Royal
Sumrall placed Florida at No. 9 overall among team recruiting rankings per 247Sports. But the Gators rank higher at No. 7 per On3/Rivals rankings for the 2027 cycle.
The former Tulane head coach is building up the offense as his first point of emphasis in his transition here. Including landing a trio of wide receivers for the 2027 class.
Elias Pearl is the leader as a four-star local get from Port Charlotte. The 5-foot-10 Pearl is the nation’s No. 14 wideout and verbally committed in May 2026.
He’s not the only blue chip talent heading to Florida’s perimeter. Fellow Sunshine State talent Tramond Collins is on board too after committing in March as a four-star get. Collins lures in a longer 6-foot-2 frame from Cottondale and averaged 21.3 yards per catch as a sophomore in 2024.
Royal coming here adds more than a third receiver option for Sumrall. He’d rise as a serious run-after-catch threat the Gators haven’t had in years. Plus his versatility allows him to take handoffs too out of the backfield. Florida fans can potentially have a future Percy Harvin on their hands, who helped guide Florida to its last national championship runs.
Landing Easton Royal Won’t be Easy
So this is shaping up as a three-team SEC race for Royal. Featuring the Longhorns trying to maintain him.
Except Wiltfong’s additional words point to this ultimately coming down to two schools: Texas and LSU. And fans of the former won’t like this prediction either.
“LSU is more than in this. I logged recent Rivals prediction in favor of Lane Kiffin and company to keep the state’s No. 1 recruit home as several sources believe the Tigers are trending,” he wrote.
Kiffin owns a history of pulling off masterful recruiting flips, which dates back to his days as a Pete Carroll assistant at USC. LSU and Kiffin already are aiming to siphon Texas Tech five-star defensive lineman Jalen Brewster earlier in July.
Granted, Sarkisian and Texas own a strong reputation for keeping elite players. But Royal’s update is proof that anything can still happen in the recruiting game.
Texas Dealing with New SEC Threat for 5-Star Commit Easton Royal