Steve Sarkisian had the No. 1 WR committed to the Texas Longhorns before Lane Kiffin joined LSU. But the portal king got straight to work and has locked his eyes on Easton Royal. While Kiffin seems to be closing in on getting the WR to switch boats, one sneaky SEC program is also entering the rumor mill.

A possible hurdle in LSU’s and Kiffin’s path is now the Florida Gators. National recruiting insider Steve Wiltfong reports that the Gators have emerged as a sneaking threat to steal the elite wideout, making full use of his recent unofficial visits.

“So, LSU has major competition now. Florida’s been swinging,” Steve Wiltfong reported on Rivals on July 29. “They want this to go into the fall so they can keep pushing and so they can show what their new regime and new era of football looks like in Gainesville. He’s had great conversations with Florida and has shown high interest in the Gator as well.”

The Gators sprang on LSU as a surprise, making an aggressive push to flip the five-star wide receiver away from his Texas commitment. Jon Sumrall, the new head coach of the Gators, has been transforming the program. Their strategy has also brought them close to the finish line. The Gators are putting together a competitive NIL package worth up to $1.5 million to match LSU’s offer.

Another advantage the Gators have in their pocket is their new head coach’s connections. Sumrall and Royal have known each other since Sumrall’s highly successful tenure at Tulane. From taking the program to the College Football Playoff, Royal believes the new head coach can achieve that at Gainesville.

After Royal took his official visit, he was impressed with the transformed Gators. Florida is pitching him on their five-man wide receiver coaching infrastructure, led by Marcus Davis. Sumrall and offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner are selling Royal on being the premier.

“Florida’s probably the only school that I know with five receiver coaches, and some people may think that’s a bad thing, but I think that’s a really good thing. The best thing about it is there are no egos. So everybody just genuinely wants to see everybody be the best they can be,” Royal told Swamp247.

“Just the attention to detail with everything; it’s very rare.” He also noted a family atmosphere within the program. “I feel like everybody, all of the coaches, I feel like they’re uncles to me.”

Although the push is hard from the Gators now in the three-way SEC battle, LSU is still heavily favored.

LSU is still the favorite to take Easton Royal away from the Texas Longhorns.

While Steve Wiltfong warned LSU about the Gators, he remains firm in his views on the Tigers’ chances in this flip watch.

“LSU looks like the biggest threat to Texas,” Wiltfong said on the Rivals podcast. “I think there’s been extremely positive dialogue between Easton Royal and LSU. They’re in a battle with Texas right now, and my prediction is ultimately on LSU to get it done.”

His statement comes with proper consensus; Rivals‘ predictions have kept LSU at 86% to secure the nation’s No. 1 wideout. Being a Louisiana native, staying home would make a lot of difference for the WR. The final decision is still in the hands of Royal. Texas is still in the race, and it would be a hard flip to take Royal away from Sarkisian’s program, since NIL offers aren’t going to be an issue for the Longhorns.