Easton Royal looked like a done deal for Texas when he pledged in November, and for a while that’s exactly how it felt. The Longhorns landed the five-star wide receiver, the No. 1 receiver in the 2027 Rivals Industry Ranking and the No. 4 overall prospect, one day after Texas upset then-undefeated Texas A&M. Case closed, right?
Not so fast.
Seven months later, Royal is still taking the full tour. He has completed official visits to LSU, Tennessee, Florida and Texas this summer, and he still hasn’t shut the door on his recruitment. That alone tells you this one is far from settled.
After his late-June official visit to Austin, Royal made it clear he was still weighing things with his family. He told Gerry Hamilton of OnTexasFootball, "Trying to lock down my commitment, and I think they did a really good job towards that, but you know obviously, me and my mom still got things to talk about, but they definitely set the tone the right way."
That doesn’t sound like a prospect ready to stop listening.
And the two programs pushing hardest are both heavyweights with real pull: LSU and Florida. On a recent episode of the Wiltfong Whiparound on On3, recruiting analysts Steve Wiltfong and Chad Simmons laid out why this battle is still very much alive as the summer dead period nears.
Wiltfong said the buzz around LSU has been growing since Lane Kiffin’s hiring. "I think around LSU, ever since Lane Kiffin's been hired, he was one of the first recruits that Lane Kiffin reached out to, telling him that the offense is going to basically look like a video game," Wiltfong said.
"I think there's been confidence around LSU that steady wins the race, that ultimately they can get him in the fold. And Florida has given him a lot to think about as well."
Simmons went a step further, citing a source close to the recruitment. "LSU has a real shot to flip this one and keep this one home," Simmons said.
He also pointed to the receiver development history George McDonald and Kiffin built together at Ole Miss, "putting guys in position to make plays, become wide receiver one for the NFL Combine."
Texas is still very much in the mix, and Wiltfong said the Longhorns are spending real energy to hold onto him. "Under the current landscape of Texas, they normally are buttoned up, and there's one here where someone's chipping away at them," Wiltfong said.
Texas has plenty to sell. Steve Sarkisian has coached Heisman winner DeVonta Smith and turned Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell and Matthew Golden into NFL draft picks at the position. That kind of track record matters, especially for a receiver with Royal’s profile.
And Royal’s profile is huge. The Brother Martin standout put up 2,095 all-purpose yards and 29 touchdowns as a junior, earning Louisiana 5A Offensive MVP and first-team all-state honors.
He also posted a verified 10.17-second 100 meters and a 4.29-second 40-yard dash at the Under Armour Future 50, where he won the fastest man competition. Then he went out and grabbed MVP honors at the Under Armour All-America Game.
That combination of production and speed is why this recruitment still has life. Wiltfong said Texas "normally doesn't take early commitments" and is fighting harder than usual to keep Royal, which says plenty about how the Longhorns view him in the 2027 class.
Still, the hometown pull is real. Kiffin and McDonald bring a similar receiver-development pitch from Ole Miss, and Royal told Rivals' Sam Spiegelman earlier in the cycle that LSU and Florida were "definitely the two schools leading right now."
He also said a decision could come "possibly, maybe in July," though he added that if it doesn’t happen then, he would wait until signing day. That leaves this one open deep into the fall and possibly all the way to December.
In Other News...
LSU Just Won Another Big In-State Battle In The Secondary
LSUs push to stay ahead of the curve in the secondary picked up another important in-state win, and this one fits the long view the staff has been selling. The Tigers have been working not just on the upcoming season, but on the 2027 cycle as well, and adding a highly regarded Louisiana defensive back keeps that pipeline moving in the right direction.
The latest commitment also gives LSU a chance to think beyond the immediate depth chart. The prospect arrives with plenty of room to grow and should have time to develop before he is asked to make a real impact, and there is at least some built-in familiarity around the program with his brother already on the roster. For a team trying to stack talent in the state and keep the secondary stocked for years to come, it is the kind of move that can pay off in more ways than one. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Opener Already Has Clemson Facing Massive Pressure
Clemsons season opener against LSU is already carrying the kind of weight that usually comes later in the fall, with ESPN and ACC Network analyst EJ Manuel calling it a must-win game for the Tigers playoff hopes. With LSU on the other sideline, the matchup gives Clemson an early chance to build a rsum that could matter plenty if the ACC schedule gets messy down the line, and it also arrives with plenty of attention on how the offense will look under returning coordinator Chad Morris.
The quarterback picture is part of why the buildup feels so unsettled. Christopher Vizzina is viewed as the favorite to start, but Tait Reynolds is considered a real challenger, and Clemsons decision not to send a quarterback to ACC Kickoff only added to the sense that the competition is still open. For a team trying to make a statement right away, the opener now feels like more than just a high-profile game - it is also an early test of how quickly Clemson can settle its most important position. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs Running Back Battle Just Took A Frustrating New Turn
LSUs running back room has become one of the more interesting parts of the roster heading into the fall, and not just because of the names on it. Dilin Jones arrives from Wisconsin with a rsum that includes seven starts, 300 rushing yards and two touchdowns before a toe injury ended his season, while Caden Durham and Harlem Berry both bring their own flashes from last year. Add in the extra portal help LSU brought in, and there is no shortage of bodies for a staff that wants competition to sort out the depth chart.
Still, the frustration comes from how hard it is to know what the Tigers will actually get once the games start. Durham never topped 70 rushing yards in any of LSUs final nine games after his 95-yard outing against Florida, and Berrys best moments were often swallowed up by game flow, including the Texas A&M matchup when he was rolling before the run game faded from the plan. Lane Kiffins approach is to give everyone a fresh chance, but for LSU, the real question is whether that reset leads to clarity or just a longer wait for answers. [Read more 🡒]