Texas took another hit on the field Saturday, and Easton Royal made sure to remind everyone about it afterward.
After Florida knocked off the Longhorns at home, the five-star receiver who recently switched his commitment from Texas to Florida jumped on X and tossed out a quick jab at his former school.
"Go Gators," Royal wrote on X, with multiple laughing emojis,
It was the latest sting in a rough stretch for Texas. The Longhorns have dropped two straight games on the field, and that slide includes last weekend’s loss in the Red River Rivalry, when they entered as the No. 1 team in the country and left with a major setback.
Royal’s swipe landed especially hard because he flipped his commitment from Texas to Florida less than a week ago, turning what had already been a frustrating run for the Longhorns into an even messier week.
His decision didn’t come out of nowhere. Royal had been visiting Florida, and LSU was also expected to be in the mix since it is his hometown program. Still, his choice to go with the Gators caught plenty of attention, and it also led him to cancel his trips to the Forty Acres.
The relationship between Royal and the Florida staff has clearly resonated with him. After one of his high school games, he pointed to Sumrall being there as part of what helped change his mind, praising the coach and the program around him.
"It means a lot," Royal said of Sumrall. "It just goes to show why I changed my decision from Texas to Florida.
[Sumrall] is a great guy, great coach. Coach Davis is a great guy, great coach.
That's the type of guys I want to play for, be led by, look up to, and just get developed by."
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian did his part on the recruiting trail, stopping by multiple times to watch Royal play and even making a visit on Oct. 2 to check in with him. But just over a week later, Royal flipped his commitment anyway.
That decommitment stung the Longhorns’ recruiting class, even if the recruitment was still wide open and Florida didn’t exactly snatch him away in the dark. Texas will keep pushing in the 2027 cycle and try to land the next one. For now, though, Royal has the upper hand online.
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