Florida Gators take massive step to flip elite five-star thanks to Jon Sumrall’s quick turnaround
Less than two months ago, the Florida Gators appeared to be out of the running for five-star wide receiver Easton Royal.
There might not be a program on a higher upswing right now than the Florida Gators. Sitting at 4-0, Jon Sumrall’s team isn’t just winning games; the Gators are blowing out other teams. Their latest win came against the Ole Miss Rebels, destroying them 52-28 in The Swamp.
One thing that helped the Gators after the win is with recruiting. They secured the commitment of 2028 four-star offensive lineman Samuel Bailey and hosted numerous other prospects. The crown jewel of that group was five-star wide receiver Easton Royal, who made his third visit to Gainesville, but first on a game day. Not only did it go well, but it got them back into the race to land him.
Florida Gators to host Easton Royal for a second game
After his visit to The Swamp, he told Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman that he could see himself playing in Gainesville.
“We had a lot of fun. It was great. You know it was my first-ever game day down in Gainesville, so it was definitely better than what I expected,” Royal told Rivals on Sunday morning. “You know, it’s definitely, up there with LSU’s just from how loud it was, how engaged the fans were, and just you could tell Ole Miss was struggling at times to hear because I couldn’t even hear sometimes. So that’s just how loud it was.”
He wasn’t kidding, either, as Royal is now set to visit Gainesville once again, as he will be in attendance for the October 10th game against the South Carolina Gamecocks.
This is a major development for both Royal and the Gators. He has already visited all three schools this year, and is expected to attend the LSU Tigers game against the Texas Longhorns. Royal was honest about his recruitment in that he’s expecting to make a decision quickly. A visit back to Gainesville could end up being the deciding factor.
All in all, Royal, who compares well to Percy Harvin (yeah, I know it’s overused), would be the second top-10 recruit in the class, joining five-star offensive lineman Maxwell Hiller. It would also move the Gators up a spot or two.
Now that would be a great finish to Sumrall’s first year.
