Easton Royal’s fall calendar says plenty about where his recruitment stands, even with Texas still listed as his commitment.
The five-star plus wideout from New Orleans, ranked No. 1 at his position in the 2027 class, has lined up four game-day visits that stretch through the heart of the season and put LSU, Florida and Texas in the picture. Rivals reporter Sam Spiegelman laid out the full schedule, and the slate gives the Tigers two chances to make their case, including one massive late-season matchup in Baton Rouge.
Royal will open with LSU on Sept. 5 when the Tigers host Clemson. He then heads to Austin on Sept. 12 to see Texas take on Ohio State.
On Sept. 26, he’ll be in Gainesville for Florida’s game against Ole Miss. The final stop comes Nov. 14, when LSU hosts Texas at Tiger Stadium.
That last visit is the one that jumps off the page. It puts Royal in the building when his commitment and one of his main challengers are on the same field, and it comes just a few weeks before the early signing period.
Florida’s presence in the mix has cooled since Royal’s official visit to Gainesville in June, but the Gators still get a game-day shot. Texas, meanwhile, remains the school he’s committed to, which means the Longhorns are still working to hold him rather than win him over from scratch. LSU, though, is the program that keeps showing up in this story.
Royal picked Texas in late November, and the timing has mattered ever since. The very next day, LSU hired Lane Kiffin, and the Tigers have been pushing hard for the state’s top prospect ever since. Kiffin made Brother Martin High School one of his early stops in Baton Rouge, and the hometown connection has stayed central to LSU’s pursuit.
The commitment has never looked fully settled. Royal has continued to take visits, praise rival coaches and leave both LSU and Texas fans guessing throughout the summer. After his official visit to LSU earlier this cycle, he made it clear the Tigers had gained ground.
"They made a very big, significant jump," Royal told Rivals. "They're in a very good spot. They're very close to Texas now after this weekend."
Spiegelman said in late July that he expects Royal to land at LSU, though he doesn’t think this one is going to drag on forever.
"A final decision could come as late as December, but based on recent conversations, I expect a verdict in this recruitment to arrive around September or October," Spiegelman wrote.
Royal later pushed back on the buzz, tweeting that he has not spoken with reporters about his recruitment and doesn’t know where the flip talk is coming from.
So the picture is messy, but it’s also pretty clear. Texas still has the commitment.
LSU has the momentum, the in-state pull and two of the four visits. Florida remains in the hunt on the edges.
And Royal’s fall schedule has turned into the clearest sign yet that this recruitment is far from finished.
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