Five-star WR Easton Royal flips to Florida, six days before Texas game

Five-star wide receiver Easton Royal flipped his commitment from Texas to Florida on October 11, 2026, six days before the teams meet in Week 7. Royal, ranked No. 14 overall in the Class of 2027 by 247Sports and the No. 2 receiver in the class, had been committed to Texas since November 29, 2025.

Royal made two on-campus visits to Florida early in the 2026 season before making his decision. He is just under 6 feet tall and weighs 215 pounds. As a junior for Brother Martin in New Orleans, he recorded 2,095 all-purpose yards and 29 touchdowns. He is an Under Armour All-American. According to 247Sports analyst Gabe Brooks, Royal lines up outside, in the slot, and in the backfield for his high school team and is a "convicted blocker in the run game."

Royal told 247Sports the reasons for the flip centered on Florida's environment and coaching structure. "It's just way more energy in the air, completely different philosophy, energy in the building, their offense is completely different. It's a lot of new things that they have to offer that makes this staff so great," he said. He also highlighted the Gators' staffing depth. "(Florida's) attention to detail and family vibe they give. They are probably one of the only schools that has five receiver coaches. You might think that's not good, but there are no egos, and every coach can provide something different to help you. I'm very familiar with coach (Jon) Sumrall. I took a visit to Tulane when he was there. I know he's a winning head coach."

Royal is Florida's 26th high school commitment during Sumrall's first full recruiting cycle with the Gators. He is the program's second five-star commitment of the cycle, joining offensive tackle Maxwell Hiller from Pennsylvania. Florida's recruiting class ranked No. 11 nationally entering Sunday.