Florida Places SEC Rival on High Alert With Marquee Visitor for Ole Miss Game

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The Florida Gators are rolling immediately under new head coach Jon Sumrall. Saturday presents them with a huge opportunity to reintroduce themselves into the national stage by beating No. 4 Ole Miss. But stunning the Rebels and coach Pete Golding isn’t the only news to monitor out in Gainesville.

Same with the influx of recruits who will head to “The Swamp.”

But the biggest visitor officially places one of Florida’s SEC rivals on high alert. As Florida aims to flip this blue chip recruit.

Good news for Rebel fans, it’s not one of their 2027 verbal commits. But bad news for the nation’s top-ranked team.

Texas Commit Visiting for Ole Miss at Florida

Rivals recruiting insider Chad Simmons revealed Friday the official biggest visitor ahead of the top 25 showdown.

“One of the biggest names expected in Gainesville is five-star Texas commit Easton Royal. The New Orleans Brother Martin playmaker remains one of Florida’s biggest flip targets,” Simmons wrote.

So Florida continues to remain in hot pursuit of Royal. Sumrall clearly is using his past Louisiana connections, as he previously coached in Royal’s hometown at Tulane.

The Gators aren’t the only ones all over Royal in the attempt to swoop him up from the grasp of Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns.

“LSU is heavily involved as well, but the Gators get another significant opportunity this weekend,” Simmons said.

Landing Easton Royal will Shake Recruiting Landscape

And in the process, signal Florida’s desire to reclaim its status as a top-ranked recruiting class.

Florida’s recruiting efforts have taken a big hit post Urban Meyer. Previous coaches Will Muschamp, Dan Mullen and more recently Billy Napier delivered multiple recruiting misses. The latter coach ended up having a hard time keeping prominent commits from drifting off.

Sumrall clearly wants to change that narrative. His 2027 class ranks No. 8 overall, which places the Gators two spots behind Texas.

Florida catapults Texas if it lures in Royal to boost its offense moving forward. Royal possesses the run-after-catch element that can turn any offense into a deadly one. He’s grabbed handoffs too out of the backfield, giving defenses fits there. So Florida nabs a potential Percy Harvin-type here for Sumrall’s future Gator teams.

And Royal’s not the only one to closely monitor.

Florida Chasing Big 12 Commit too

Sumrall and the No. 21 Gators are all over a West Virginia pledge too, per Simmons.

“Royal won’t be the only committed receiver worth watching. West Virginia commit Jacobi Pasley, out of Hinesville (Ga.) Bradwell Institute is also expected,” Simmons wrote, adding its an official visit for Pasley.

So Florida can flip two wideouts on the same weekend. Which rises as the most aggressive recruiting weekend for Sumrall and this staff.

Those wideouts should fawn over Florida’s multiple spread, Air Raid and pro style approach. But beating Ole Miss can pique their interest too. It’ll fire off the signal that the Gators are back. And adding Royal plus Pasley sparks future national title chatter.

Ole Miss enters on upset alert, while Texas is on high alert recruiting wise.

This article was originally published on HEAVY

The post Florida Places SEC Rival on High Alert With Marquee Visitor for Ole Miss Game appeared first on HEAVY.

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