Texas is making one last push to keep five-star wide receiver Easton Royal in the Longhorns’ class, and the timing says plenty about how serious this has become.
Royal, who committed to Texas about a year ago, has kept the recruiting world buzzing with continued interest from other programs, especially SEC schools. The latest twist is that head coach Steve Sarkisian and wide receivers coach Chris Jackson are scheduled to be in Louisiana to check on him, a move that amounts to a full-on Hail Mary from Texas as the finish line for his decision gets closer.
“I’m very close to a decision,” Royal recently told recruiting insider Sam Spiegelman, a comment that suggests the long-running saga may be nearing its end.
Recruiting insider Justin Wells told InsideTexas’s Cord Samuels, “They're going to be in Baton Rouge tomorrow to go see Easton Royal, that's been planned, Chris Jackson wants to go check in on his five-star,”
That visit matters because Royal has spent months taking trips to other schools, with Florida and LSU drawing the most attention. Those visits have naturally left Texas on edge, especially with Royal praising other programs even after attending the Horns’ comeback win over then-No. 1 Ohio State.
Still, Texas is clearly trying to leave nothing on the table. Sarkisian and Jackson are using one of the team’s only off weekends to make the trip and meet with Royal at home, and that could carry real weight.
The numbers, though, make Texas the underdog in this fight. According to Rivals and On3, the Longhorns had just a 2.2% chance to keep Royal committed, though that figure came before the home visit was made official. LSU has been given more than 91% odds to keep him home, while Florida has a 1.5% shot to pull off the flip.
Royal remains the top receiver in the cycle and ranks No. 5 overall. Both Rivals and 247Sports rate him as a 98-overall recruit. As a junior, he played 13 games and finished with 54 catches, 1,065 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns.
He is also the highest-rated player in Texas’s class of 2027, which helps explain why Sarkisian and Jackson are still fighting this hard to keep him in the fold. For now, Texas is doing everything it can to make sure Royal stays with the Horns.
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