Insider says LSU ‘has the ammunition’ to flip No. 1 WR Easton Royal from Texas
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Texas made a surprise splash at the end of November by landing a humongous commitment from New Orleans Brother Martin five-star wide receiver Easton Royal.
The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder has now been a Longhorns pledge for nearly five months. He’s shown no signs of putting his name back on the board, but he also hasn’t shut his recruitment down.
To no surprise, LSU isn’t too keen on letting Royal leave Louisiana. The Tigers hired head coach Lane Kiffin right after Royal committed to Texas and they have made it known that they want him to stay home.
Royal is listening, too. He was back in Baton Rouge over the weekend to give the in-state powerhouse yet another look. According to Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman, LSU has continued to close the gap behind Texas in this recruitment.
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“LSU took a major leap forward, they are one of the frontrunners trying to flip the number one wide receiver off of Texas. He committed to the Longhorns the day before Lane Kiffin was hired at LSU. Kiffin, George McDonald, this entire staff has not stopped recruiting Easton Royal even for a second,” Spiegelman told Josh Newberg at the Rivals Nashville camp over the weekend.
“He was back on campus over the weekend for a two-day visit — his second time there this month. Brought mom along for the visit. He said that they took a major step forward.”
Royal discussed his latest trip to campus with Spiegelman, calling the trip “great” while acknowledging the hometown angle the Tigers are taking as they try to flip him away from the Longhorns.
LSU not the only team trying to flip Royal
While all the flip talks surrounding Royal start with the local Tigers, they aren’t the only notable program trying to lure him away from Austin. He’s been back at Florida, Ole Miss and Tennessee this spring, too. Official visits are now on deck — and they’ll be awfully crucial as the five-star works toward making a final decision.
Make no mistake, though, LSU will be in the thick of things until Royal puts pen to paper. Spiegelman certainly isn’t discounting Kiffin and Co. heading into the summer.
“LSU is on the shortlist of teams with the ammunition to flip Royal,” he said. “It doesn’t seem like they are going to go anywhere in this race. Of all the teams we’re watching, you have to keep an eye on Lane Kiffin with the state’s number one prospect.”
Royal is now the No. 4 overall prospect and No. 1 wide receiver in the updated Rivals300 rankings. He headlines a Texas class that sits at No. 12 in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.
“I felt like it was home because the school gives me everything I need,” Royal told Rivals about his decision to commit to Texas. “I know im gonna get developed, the love and stability are there, the way the coaches grow their guys not to just be good players but good men, too. Texas has a lot of opportunities for me — not just for football, but with the business school and how the city is constantly growing. My family is all over Texas and the academics are also top-tier as well.”
LSU currently has the No. 10 class in the nation. It flipped Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas four-star WR Ah’Mari Stevens from Miami earlier this month.
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