4-star Texas commit flipping to the LSU Tigers may have flown under fans' radars

Almost exactly seven months ago, four-star safety Greedy James committed to the Texas Longhorns, and since then, it appeared to be smooth sailing between the blue-chip prospect and the Horns.

Then, about a week ago, James made a previously expected move by flipping his commitment from Texas and head coach Steve Sarkisian to the LSU Tigers and head coach Lane Kiffin.

On3 and Rivals' Hayes Fawcett broke the news, and immediately, a few Texas fans took to social media to respond: "What???? NEVER saw this coming. The writing wasn’t on the wall," one fan wrote rather sarcastically on X.

However, amid a white-hot recruiting wave for the Horns, a lot of Texas fans entirely missed the news that James had flipped his commitment. As five-star prospects like interior offensive lineman Ismael Camara committed to Texas, the news of Greedy's departure from Sarkisian's class of 2027 flew slightly under the radar.

For a few weeks before he actually made the decision final, rumors were circulating around James' commitment to Texas, with recruiting insiders like Fawcett reporting that the four-star safety was expected to decommit from the Longhorns.

Greedy James flipping to LSU is a bad sign for Easton Royal's Texas commitment

he initially committed to Texas in December of last year, choosing the Horns over teams like the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and other powerhouse programs. Now, he has officially flipped that commitment, after weeks of rumors, to the Tigers.

James is the No. 28 safety in the class of 2027, and the No. 47 overall prospect out of Texas. So, when Sarkisian landed James' initial commitment, it was big for the Longhorns, but nearly two dozen prospects have committed to the program since then.

The blue-chip defensive back isn't the only Longhorn commit that Kiffin and LSU have been after this offseason, putting a lot of weight into their recruitment of five-star wide receiver Easton Royal, who has been committed to the Horns since November of last year.

Concerningly for Sarkisian, James didn't shy away from talking about his connection with Royal when discussing his flip to the Tigers.

"Definitely my dog Easton Royal, for sure. We've already been talking," James said about players he's going to recruit to join him at LSU.

Of course, James wasn't the only blue-chip defensive back committed to Texas when he switched to LSU, so losing him from the class of 2027 wasn't a massive hit for the Longhorns. Sarkisian's class of 2027 recruits still features five-star cornerback John Meredith III, four-star cornerbacks Brandon Sherrard and Montre Jackson, and four-star safety Junior Tu'upo.

Also read: Reactions of fellow recruits make John Meredith's Texas commitment that much sweeter

Even after James' departure, the Horns' group remained fifth in the national rankings and second in the SEC. And yes, if you're wondering, Texas's recruiting class still ranks five spots ahead of LSU at the national level, and three spots ahead of the Tigers in the conference rankings.

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