For Texas, the latest Easton Royal chatter at least comes with a little breathing room.
The 5-star wide receiver has been at the center of nonstop flip speculation, with LSU and Lane Kiffin drawing plenty of buzz as the battle for the Louisiana native keeps heating up. Steve Sarkisian and the Texas staff have been pushing hard to hold onto him, and Royal’s own social media response offered Longhorn fans something to cling to.
When an LSU fan tried to read too much into a workout photo and suggest Royal was headed to Baton Rouge, Royal fired back with a simple line that pointed straight to Texas: “But the burnt orange cleats tho😮💨😮💨”
That was enough to get Texas fans talking again, and for good reason. Royal has continued to publicly signal Texas, even as the noise around his recruitment refuses to die down. LSU is still very much in the mix, and Kiffin is clearly not backing off.
Florida has also made a push. Jon Sumrall brought Royal in for a visit not too long ago, and the trip to Gainesville apparently went well.
Jalen Brewster was also on campus at the time, which only added to the experience. Even so, the Gators currently look like the third team in this race, with Texas and LSU shaping up as the real contenders.
Royal first committed to Texas on Nov. 29, and it was a major win for the Longhorns. He picked UT over a long list of other programs, and the hype only grows when you remember he’s ranked the No. 1 receiver in the country according to the 247Sports Composite.
That ranking is a big part of why Texas fans are so invested in keeping him locked in. If the Longhorns can hold on, Royal is set to make it official in December during the Early Signing Period. But the flip talk is not going away anytime soon, and it could pick up even more once the season starts.
There’s a good chance Kiffin will get Royal back to Baton Rouge for a game day, and Sarkisian will likely try to answer with a big weekend in Austin. For now, though, Royal remains committed to Texas, and the Longhorns have every reason to keep treating this one like a fight.
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Texas May Have Finally Found The Backfield Arch Manning Needed
Texas spent the offseason reworking its backfield, and the shape of it now looks a lot more balanced around Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers. Brown arrived from Arizona State and gave the Longhorns the kind of burst and pass-catching presence that keeps a defense honest, while Smothers brings the downhill production and steady efficiency that can make a run game feel less one-dimensional. For a team trying to make life easier on Arch Manning, that kind of pairing matters.
The appeal goes beyond the top two names, too. Brown and Smothers give Texas a legitimate 1-2 punch, but the Longhorns also have Derrek Cooper and Michael Terry in the mix as young depth pieces who can develop into rotation options. If the room holds up the way it looks on paper, Texas may finally have the kind of backfield balance that lets the offense stay on schedule instead of leaning too heavily on the quarterback to create everything. [Read more 🡒]
Where Texas Portal Departures Are Suddenly Getting Another Shot
Texas spent the offseason watching a sizable chunk of its defensive depth chart and one specialist move on through the transfer portal, and the next stop for those players has already started to take shape. For a program that expects to reload every year, the more interesting part now is not just who left, but how quickly several of those departures found situations where they should matter right away.
A few of the exits were always going to land in places where opportunity was waiting, including at programs that need experienced help and are willing to give it. One of the seven departures was a starter for Texas, while others are stepping into spots where they are projected to be key pieces or even immediate starters, which says plenty about how the Longhorns roster churn is being viewed elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Awaits Final Word In Massive WR Recruiting Battle
Monshun Sales is set to put an end to one of the most closely watched wide receiver recruitments in the country, with the five-star prospect planning to announce his college commitment Friday, June 17, live on the Pat McAfee Show. Texas is among the finalists, along with Alabama, Ohio State, Indiana and LSU, and the Longhorns have remained in the mix as several heavyweight programs have made late pushes for the elite pass catcher.
For Texas, the timing makes this one especially interesting. The Longhorns have been working to stay aggressive in a battle that could come down to the wire, with Indiana long viewed as the hometown school and one of the programs that had held the edge for much of the process. However it breaks, Sales decision will be a major one for a recruiting race that has drawn attention from across the sport. [Read more 🡒]