For the second straight recruiting cycle, the Tennessee Vols are hoping to flip a five-star wide receiver from an SEC rival.

Last August, Tennessee flipped 2026 five-star wide receiver Tristen Keys from the LSU Tigers.

Now the Vols are hoping to flip 2027 five-star wide receiver Easton Royal from the Texas Longhorns.

Royal, 5-11, 185 pounds from New Orleans, is rated in 247Sports’ composite rankings as the No. 3 wide receiver in the nation and the No. 12 overall player in the 2027 recruiting class. He’s also rated as the top player in the state of Louisiana.

The five-star wide receiver is scheduled to take an official visit to Tennessee on June 4.

Vols insider details Tennessee’s chances of flipping Easton Royal

VolQuest’s Matt Ray joined The Inside Scoop over the weekend and was asked about Tennessee’s involvement with Royal.

Ray noted that Tennessee’s pursuit of Royal is a little different than its pursuit of Keys last year.

“I felt like coming out of fall prior to Tristen Keys’ commitment to LSU (last March), I felt like Tennessee had momentum there — after back to back visits from him that fall,” said Ray. “He had driven up to North Carolina to see (Vols QB commit) Faizon Brandon play on a Friday night before coming down to Tennessee on a Saturday. Those two had a really, really tight bond. So that always had his interest with Tennessee.

“I felt like coming out of the spring visit to Tennessee that Tennessee continued to hold momentum, and then he kind of surprised folks around Knoxville with his commitment to LSU the weekend after. So I feel like Tennessee was always much more of a player, kind of early on, for Tristen Keys. With Easton Royal, (Vols WRs coach) Kelsey Pope has continued to build a relationship there. The Vols have continued to climb in this one. But this one feels more to me like [Tennessee has to] get him here in June, and you shoot your shot and see where it goes, versus where they kind of were with with Tristen Keys — where they had the momentum at multiple different points in the recruiting process prior to ultimately flipping him from LSU.”

It sounds like the Vols are very much in the mix for Royal, who has been committed to Texas since late November, but it’s going to be much tougher to flip him than it was Keys.

Interestingly, though, On3’s Chad Simmons suggested in January that Tennessee could be the biggest threat to flip Royal from Texas.

“The Buckeyes could be one to watch. Florida was one of his early favorites less than a year ago, but Tennessee may be Texas’ top competition,” wrote Simmons. “The offense and Kelsey Pope have the Vols in play.”

The official visit in June will be key for the Vols in this battle.

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