Texas commit Easton Royal says the Longhorns “set the tone,” but LSU and Florida are still lurking as his recruitment stays unsettled.
Easton Royal is still committed to Texas football, but nobody in Austin should be sleeping easy just yet.
The five-star wide receiver from New Orleans spent the weekend on an official visit with the Longhorns, giving Steve Sarkisian and Texas another chance to tighten their grip on one of the most explosive playmakers in the 2027 recruiting class.
Royal has been pledged to Texas since November, but his recruitment has never felt fully closed. If anything, it still feels like LSU and Florida are standing close enough to make Longhorn fans sweat.
Royal didn’t exactly shut that down after his Austin trip.
“Trying to lock down my commitment, and I think they did a really good job towards that,” Royal told OnTexasFootball’s Gerry Hamilton. “But you know obviously, me and my mom still got things to talk about, but they definitely set the tone the right way.”
That’s the kind of quote Texas fans can read two ways. The Longhorns did their job. Great. But “still got things to talk about” isn’t exactly a locked vault.
Royal has been busy on the SEC trail, too. He visited LSU in Baton Rouge last month, took an official visit to Florida last week, and made another stop at LSU before heading to Austin.
The pull is obvious.
Royal said he loves “coach Kiffin, coach Sark, and coach Sumrall” and added that he believes he can fit into all three offenses.
Whether he meant Lane Kiffin, Steve Sarkisian and Jon Sumrall as the coaches recruiting him most aggressively, the message was clear ... Texas isn’t the only school selling him a future.
Before the Texas visit, Royal said the goal was simple: seeing if the Longhorns could “close the deal.” They may have moved closer, but the deal still doesn’t sound fully closed.
Texas did lean into two major selling points. One was Royal’s chance to be a two-sport athlete after a record-breaking performance at the LHSAA Outdoor Track and Field State Meet in Louisiana.
The other was the bigger-picture pitch that Texas isn’t just a four-year stop, but a “fifty-year decision.”
That message matters. But so does the timeline.
Royal said a final decision could come in July, or he could wait until signing day. For a player already committed, that’s the part that keeps this recruitment spicy.
Texas may still be the team to beat. But until Easton Royal signs, the Longhorns aren’t protecting a commitment. They’re fighting to keep one.
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