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Easton Royal flip softens Florida, Jon Sumrall's tough weekend
Florida head coach Jon Sumrall. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Easton Royal flip softens Florida, Jon Sumrall's tough weekend

By Andrew Kulha  |  Last updated Oct 12, 2026 4:23 PM ET
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It wasn't a game the Florida Gators were supposed to lose.

They entered their Week 6 matchup with the South Carolina Gamecocks ranked No. 16 in the nation. Yes, Jon Sumrall and his team were coming off a loss to the Missouri Tigers, but they had also started the season 4-0 with a win over the No. 4 Ole Miss Rebels.

Again, Florida should have won this game. Instead, the Gators lost, 38-19 to the reeling Gamecocks.

It was an extremely tough loss to the Gators, who are now 4-2, 2-2 in the SEC and unranked.

Sumrall and his staff did get a massive pick-me-up on Sunday, though, when it was announced that five-star wide receiver Easton Royal decided to flip his long-time commitment to the Texas Longhorns and instead commit to the Gators.

Does it make up for the loss? Probably not, at least in Sumrall's mind.

Is this a huge recruiting win, though? Absolutely.

All indications are that Royal has a chance to be a stud at the college level. According to the 247Sports Composite, he's the No. 1-ranked wide receiver in the class of 2027.

Florida Gators pull off massive recruiting flip at expense of the Texas Longhorns

Royal has previously scheduled visits to LSU and Texas coming up, but those are being taken off the agenda, and per Eli Lederman of ESPN, the five-star is expected to shut his recruitment down.

What "shutting down" a recruitment actually means in 2026 is anybody's guess, but we know that Royal is very high on Sumrall and the Gators.

"I know [Sumrall] is a winner," he told ESPN over the summer. "He won at Tulane and took them to the College Football Playoff. I know what he's all about. He's the type of coach I want to play for."

This sure does feel like a balm on the burn that was Florida's loss to South Carolina, but it won't mean much if the Gators can't get back on the winning track.

Interestingly, in light of this flip, it's the No. 7 Longhorns up next on Florida's schedule.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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