Historic Powerhouse Predicted to Flip College Football’s No. 1 Wide Receiver

A growing flip projection, a birthday post read as a countdown and a family that wants to see the offense in person before anything changes.

A five-star recruit has been committed since November, but is expected to flip to another SEC program. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The nation's top wide receiver recruit Easton Royal turns 17 on Wednesday. The Brother Martin pass-catcher has been committed to Texas since late November, and he has spent most of the eight months since then taking visits, talking to other staffs and leaving the rest of the sport to guess.

On3 and Rivals vice president of national college football recruiting Steve Wiltfong put a number on the guessing. On July 17, Wiltfong logged an expert prediction for the New Orleans native to flip from Texas to LSU. The Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine gives LSU an 86 percent chance to sign him.

Why LSU has closed the gap on Texas for Easton Royal

The calendar set this up somehow after Royal announced for Texas on a Saturday. Head coach Lane Kiffin was introduced at LSU the very next day and reached out to him almost right away.

"Coach Kiffin was going to hit him up and said that they're going to be putting up video game-type numbers on the offensive side of the ball," Wiltfong said of a December conversation with the receiver at the Under Armour All-American Game.

LSU brought Ed Orgeron back on May 20 to help with recruiting. The state 100-meter champion was in Baton Rouge for his official visit about a week later. Wide receivers coach George McDonald followed Kiffin over from Ole Miss. Brother Martin sits a little more than an hour from campus.

"Momentum has been steadily building around Baton Rouge since Lane Kiffin was hired," Wiltfong said, adding there is a "lot of confidence regarding LSU's position."

What Easton Royal's 7/29 post actually meant

Over the weekend, the speedster posted "7/29" and Texas fans collectively held their breath. The date is his birthday, and nothing else about it has been confirmed.

"Well, there had been some buzz behind the scenes that there was something that could happen on his birthday," Wiltfong said. "Now, people have kind of backed off that stance."

Team Roses' Easton Royal (3) runs into the end zone for a touchdown during the Under Armour All-America Game. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Fans have now read a decision into July 1, July 4 and July 29 in the span of a month. The player himself has never promised any of those dates.

"Possibly, maybe a decision in July but if not, we'll just see how the season goes and just wait until signing day," Royal told On Texas Football's Gerry Hamilton in June after his Texas official visit.

Why Easton Royal may want to see LSU play first

Wiltfong reported that the receiver and his family want to see Kiffin's offense in action at Tiger Stadium before anything changes.

"There's some talk about Easton Royal and his family telling LSU, 'Hey, we want to see what this looks like on the field in Baton Rouge,'" Wiltfong said.

That timeline helps Florida. Head coach Jon Sumrall hosted Royal on an official visit in June and has kept pushing. A decision that slides to October or later gives Gainesville months it does not have if this ends in July.

What Easton Royal has said about his recruitment

Multiple sources told FOX 8 in New Orleans that the 2027 class receiver will command more than $1 million out of high school.

"This past month, I haven't talked to a single coach or anybody from any school. Me and my mom, we've just been sitting down and weighing out all the pros and cons to make sure that I make the best decision for me," Royal said.

TEXAS COMMIT EASTON ROYAL WITH THE ONE-HANDED GRAB 😱@SCNext pic.twitter.com/6uIrD8BXu3

— ESPN (@espn) January 3, 2026

He also cut off flip talk on July 17 with three words on X. "I didnt flip," he wrote.

Texas has already missed on Monshun Sales, who picked Indiana. The Longhorns' 2027 class currently ranks eighth nationally. Royal can sign in December, and until he does flip, coach Steve Sarkisian holds the commitment.