It'd be an understatement to say that it has been a rough stretch recruiting wise for Texas and head coach Steve Sarkisian with receivers. First, Monshun Sales, who had UT as a finalist, spurned the Longhorns and committed to Indiana instead. Almost immediately right after that, Steve Wiltfong put in his official prediction for Sark to lose 5-star commit Easton Royal to LSU.
Goodness. The hits keep on coming, but in some good news for the Texas faithful, Royal was also quick to make it clear that he has not flipped yet, and he remains Austin-bound for his college ball. While that's obviously great to see, it doesn't take away from the fact that Lane Kiffin and LSU are still pushing hard, with Sarkisian in serious danger of losing one of the top players for the 2027 class:
I didnt flip🤦🏾♂️
— Easton Royal🙏🏾⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+ (@easton_3k) July 17, 2026
Texas commit Easton Royal being predicted to LSU is a major worry for Steve Sarkisian
Yes, all it took was a quick three-word social media post from Royal to get people to calm down a bit, but it doesn't take away from the fact that the Tigers are working hard to get this done. Kiffin is going all-in to make it happen, while his secret weapon is also making a big-time difference for LSU - that'd be Ed Orgeron.
Orgeron is back in Baton Rouge, with a focus on helping out with recruiting. He was hired by LSU on May 20, with Royal making his way to campus a little over a week later for the start of his official visit. Orgeron and Royal developed a strong relationship in the two days the youngster was in town, which only fueled the flip talks.
With Wiltfong dropping his 'Fong Bomb' like this too, it really makes it feel like it will only be a matter of time before Royal has a change of heart and trades a Texas jersey for an LSU one. That's obviously the last thing Texas supporters want to see, as Royal is ranked five stars and the No. 1 wide receiver in the country per the 247Sports Composite.
He's the jewel of the '27 haul for Sarkisian, which is why the Longhorns are trying to do everything possible to keep him on board. Again, Royal has stated clearly that he remains a Texas pledge, and that nothing is even close to finalized with LSU or Florida. Sometimes it's easy to forget that Jon Sumrall is still in the race here, as the Gators aren't willing to go down without a fight either before the Early Signing Period gets here.
Still, Kiffin seems like he's not going to take no for an answer, and with Royal being a New Orleans native, that's only going to help LSU pull this off. It's on Sark to prevent that from being the case, but we admittedly don't feel great about his chances of signing Royal once December rolls around. Royal could make us look silly and sign with UT, but again, it'll be on Sarkisian and the Texas staff to ensure that happens.
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