Florida flips 5-star WR Easton Royal from Texas in recruiting shocker

Florida coach Jon Sumrall's attempt to turn the Gators' recent on-field misfortune around keeps gaining steam.

The Gators successfully flipped five-star wide receiver Easton Royal from SEC rival Texas on the recruiting trail on Sunday, October 11. This follows two unofficial visits for Royal to Gainesville, Florida. The first was to see the Gators dominate top-5 opponent Ole Miss, 52-28; the second came on Oct. 9 vs. South Carolina.

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The Brother Martin (New Orleans) five-star wide receiver had been committed to the Longhorns since last November. However, a relationship with Sumrall and his staff dating back to when Florida's new head coach was at Tulane kept the Gators in the race.

Royal ranks as the USA TODAY Composite No. 6 overall player. During his junior season, he finished with 2,095 all-purpose yards and scored 29 total touchdowns, earning 5A Offensive MVP and first-team all-state selection by the Louisiana Football Coaches Association.

He becomes Sumrall's second five-star recruit of the cycle. Florida also landed No. 3 overall player interior offensive lineman Maxwell Hiller earlier this cycle.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida flips 5-star WR Easton Royal from Texas in recruiting shocker