Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel and LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin have already indirectly sparred once this offseason.

In January, Heupel and Kiffin both pursued Arizona State transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt.

The Vols appeared to have a good shot to land Leavitt after he left a visit to LSU without committing to the Tigers. But a Hail Mary trip by Kiffin to the Knoxville airport to stalk make another pitch to Leavitt ultimately led to the transfer quarterback signing with LSU.

“I don’t know. I just know how I do things,” said Kiffin in February of his bizarre trip to Knoxville. “There’s a good and bad to it. I’m extremely competitive, and I don’t really do well with no — that just makes me more competitive when someone says no. So sometimes that happens in recruiting, they say no. But I think that’s my job. That’s my job to LSU.

“On kind of on a different note, when people ask about the social media and why do you do it — everything that I do is for the place where I coach at. For that school, for those players, and those fans. That makes me not very liked a lot of times by other [fan bases]. So, it’s the same in that. I’m hired here to go sign the best players, regardless of whether that means I’ve got to go get on another plane or find a plane and show up somewhere and walk through the Knoxville airport to find the guy. That’s just kind of how I work.”

Josh Heupel and Lane Kiffin poised for a five-star showdown

Tennessee and LSU are trying to flip the same five-star recruit, and both programs have reason for optimism.

2027 five-star wide receiver Easton Royal has been committed to the Texas Longhorns since November, but he’s still checking out other schools.

Royal, in fact, visited Tennessee this past weekend.

“They blew it out of the water,” said Royal to On3 of his visit to Tennessee. “So, definitely, my decision is getting harder, and I would definitely say keep an eye out on Tennessee because they have made a very big impression.”

Royal is from New Orleans, so it’s no surprise that LSU is also trying to flip the five-star recruit.

LSU is set to receive a visit from Royal this week.

“They’re texting me and calling me every night,” said Royal to On3 of his interest in LSU. “Coach Kiffin is sending me videos every night and calling me from their practices. We’re building those relationships and getting a better idea for how they’re gonna use me in the offense.”

“They’re always showing me how different the culture has changed and how it’s already different,” added Royal. “They’re projecting to be one of the best offenses in the country. Lane Kiffin is an offensive mastermind. “I’m excited to see what they do.”

Tennessee’s had a lot of success recruiting wide receivers in recent years — including flipping five-star wide receiver Tristen Keys from the Tigers last fall.

But it won’t be easy to keep an elite in-state wide receiver away from Kiffin and the Tigers. If Heupel and wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope manage to win this battle, it’ll be one of Tennessee’s most impressive wins ever on the recruiting trail.

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