Texas and coach Steve Sarkisian joined the board of directors for the 2027 recruiting class Saturday when five-star wide receiver Easton Royal, No. 16 in the ESPN Junior 300, announced his commitment to the Longhorns.
Royal’s commitment comes as the Longhorns also work to put the finishing touches on their 2026 recruiting class, which currently ranks seventh in ESPN’s class rankings for the cycle.
Hours after Royal’s commitment, Texas voided the commitment of four-star Baylor defensive end Jamarion Carlton, ESPN’s No. 96 overall prospect in the 2026 class.
A longtime target of the Longhorns, Carlton has visited Texas several times over the past month, including Friday’s 27-17 win over No. 3 Texas A&M. He is now the third of nine ESPN 300 defenders expected to sign with the Longhorns when the early signing period opens Wednesday.
Royal, a 6-foot, 195-pound wide receiver from New Orleans, is ESPN’s third-ranked wide receiver for the 2027 cycle. He chose Texas over Ole Miss, LSU, Oregon and a long list of other Power 4 programs.
Royal becomes the first member of the Longhorns’ 2027 class less than 24 hours after visiting the program in its win over Texas A&M.
Royal is a student at Brother Martin High School in Louisiana, where he had 53 catches for 1,151 yards and 17 touchdowns this fall. He now trails only five-star Jamier Brown (Ohio State) and Jalen Brewster (Texas Tech) as ESPN’s highest-ranked commit in the 2027 class.
UCLA three-star safety commit Toray Davis was another big target on campus in Week 14.
The Longhorns also continue to put pressure on two of LSU’s top 100 commits, offensive tackle Brysten Martinez (No. 84) and defensive tackle Richard Anderson (No. 90), ahead of this week’s early signing period. As it stands, four-star wide receiver Chris Stewart (No. 185) is the only ESPN 300 pass catcher willing to sign with the Longhorns in the 2026 class.
