Five-star receiver Easton Royal flipped his commitment from Texas to Florida on Sunday, just six days before the Longhorns host the Gators in Week 7 action. Royal had been committed to Texas since Nov. 29 but made two on-campus visits to Florida early this season.
"It's just way more energy in the air, completely different philosophy, energy in the building, their offense is completely different," Royal told 247Sports. "It's a lot of new things that they have to offer that makes this staff so great."
The New Orleans product is regarded as the No. 14 player in the Class of 2027 by 247Sports and is ranked the No. 2 receiver. At just under 6-feet tall, he's also a high school track star with multiple recorded 100-meter dashes under 10.50 seconds.
"[Florida's] attention to detail and family vibe they give," Royal told 247Sports. "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."
On the gridiron, Royal tallied 2,095 all-purpose yards and 29 touchdowns for Brother Martin as a junior while solidifying himself as one of the top prospects in the class. Royal is an Under Armour All-American and a huge addition to a Florida class that entered Sunday ranked No. 11 nationally.
Royal is Florida's second five-star commitment of the cycle, joining offensive tackle Maxwell Hiller from Pennsylvania. 247Sports scouting analyst Gabe Brooks noted that Royal lines up outside, in the slot and even in the backfield for his high school team.
Brooks also wrote that, at 215 pounds, he is a "convicted blocker in the run game." Royal is Florida's 26th high school commitment during coach Jon Sumrall's first full recruiting cycle with the Gators.
