Notre Dame football extends a fascinating offer to a five-star playmaker who is currently committed elsewhere

Notre Dame could be making a push for arguably the top player in the 2027 recruiting class.

Ryan Roberts — National College Football Writer
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Notre Dame football has recruited at an extremely high level under head coach Marcus Freeman. For several years, wide receiver was a position that was far too hit-or-miss for the Fighting Irish, the outlier of sorts. That has remedied a good bit recently, especially after bringing in Kaydon Finley, Brayden Robinson, Bubba Frazier, Dylan Faison, and Devin Fitzgerald via the 2026 recruiting class. 

In the 2027 recruiting class, wide receivers coach Mike Brown is still waiting to land his first commit. The Fighting Irish made a fascinating offer this week when they extended one to New Orleans (La.) Brother Martin five-star wide receiver Easton Royal, one of the best overall players in the 2027 class. Notre Dame was one of the few premier programs that hadn’t done so. 

This feels like odd timing for this offer, considering that Royal has been committed to the Texas Longhorns since November. Perhaps this signals that he isn’t settled in that commitment, but with other programs like LSU sniffing around, it feels unlikely that Notre Dame would get much of a look. That’s especially true now that it’s later in the game. 

If the Irish make some sort of run at Royal, it would be a positive sign. While I won’t hold my breath, this offer feels too random to mean nothing. Notre Dame fans should let this situation play itself out and see if anything comes of it. It’s interesting timing, but let’s see if that means anything before reacting. 

Easton Royal’s recruiting background 

Royal is considered at least a four-star and a consensus top-25 overall player by all major recruiting platforms. On the 247 Sports Composite ranking, the Louisiana native sits as a five-star, the No. 12 overall player, the No. 3 wide receiver, and the No. 1 player from the state of Louisiana for the 2027 recruiting class. The rankings are consistent for Royal across the board. 

While Royal has been committed to Texas since November, a long list of impressive programs has continued to pursue him. Some of his top offers include the Fighting Irish, the Longhorns, Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan, Oregon, Oklahoma, Florida, LSU, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Miami, Florida State, Nebraska, Colorado, Auburn, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt, Washington, Wisconsin, Boston College, Baylor, and UNC, among others. 

Royal put together a dynamic season for Brother Martin as a junior. The 5-11, 185-pound pass catcher showed off his 10.38 100-meter speed in several different ways. The Texas star managed to haul in 57 receptions for 1,374 yards and 19 touchdowns. Royal also rushed for 277 yards and five scores on 18 carries, while scoring four more touchdowns on special teams. 

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