Texas Longhorns Visit 5-Star Easton Royal as New Flip Threat Makes Move

The Texas Longhorns are looking to retain their commitment from five-star wide receiver Easton Royal.

Easton Royal during his official visit with the Texas Longhorns | @easton_3k - X

The Texas Longhorns are in the middle of what's already looking like a championship-level season, but that's not stopping Steve Sarkisian and the coaching staff from continuing to build momentum on the recruiting trail.

With Texas on a bye this weekend after last week's nail-biting win over Tennessee, Sarkisian and the coaching staff have some extra time to check in with recruits and commits as the 2027 cycle comes to a close in the next months.

This includes spending some valuable time with Texas five-star wide receiver commit Easton Royal.

Steve Sarkisian Visits Easton Royal as Florida Closes In

Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian leaves the field at the half during a college football game against Tennessee on Sept. 26, 2026, in Knoxville, Tennessee. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Longhorns are making it clear that Royal is at the top of their priority list as other SEC programs continue to heavily pursue a potential flip.

Royal recently set an unofficial visit with Florida for Oct. 10, a notable move considering he was just in Gainesville to watch the Gators blowout then-No. 4 Ole Miss last weekend.

Florida appears to have some massive momentum in its race to flip Royal from Texas, but Sarkisian isn't resting on his laurels.

Sarkisian visited with Royal on Friday, per reports from Anwar Richardson of OrangeBloods. This is a timely move by Texas, as the coaching staff is clearly well aware of the momentum that Florida is building with Royal.

That conversation with Sarkisian was apparently all Royal needed to feel comfortable about scheduling another visit with the Longhorns after previously being in Austin for the Ohio State game last month.

Easton Royal Sets Future Visit With Texas

Texas Longhorns commit, and 5-star receiver Easton Royal posing with Texas Longhorns gloves | Easton Royal (@easton_3k) on X

It's clear that Sarkisian's latest push made a difference in helping Texas continue on the path toward retaining Royal's commitment.

Per reports from OnTexasFootball, Royal is set to take a visit back to Austin later this month. It would make a ton of sense for the Longhorns to host him on Oct. 17 when they play Florida at DKR, but that remains to be seen.

A potential win at home over Florida with Royal watching could tip the scales in Texas' favor, but with how this recruitment has played out over the past year, it feels impossible to predict how things will go.

Either way, the Longhorns know that losing Royal would be a massive hit to their 2027 recruiting class, and they'll remain aggressive until given a reason not to be.

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