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The Texas Longhorns were unable to land a commitment from five-star wide receiver Monshun Sales on Friday, as he announced his decision to stay home and join the Indiana Hoosiers.
However, that could be only the start of the bad news for Texas on the 2027 recruiting trail.
The Longhorns still retain a commitment from Easton Royal, who was recently named the No.
1 wide receiver in the class.
He's been committed to Texas since November and has even teased at the possibility of joining forces with Sales, whether that be in Austin or elsewhere.
Instead, Texas fans are now experiencing what could be considered the worst-case scenario for the team in the 2027 cycle.
Easton Royal Predicted to Flip From Texas to LSU Rivals' Steve Wiltfong has logged a prediction for Royal to flip his commitment from Texas to LSU following a back-and-forth recruitment.
This has been the concern for Texas fans for what seems like forever, but the dam appears to be breaking.
The Longhorns have tried desperately to hold onto Royal, but the New Orleans product has made his interest in LSU clear.
The chance to stay in his home state and shine for a championship-level program under head coach Lane Kiffin -- along with a handsome NIL package -- might be too much for Royal to pass up on.
If the Longhorns officially end up losing Royal, they would have to shift focus toward potentially flipping Sales down the line.
After all, a verbal commitment often means little in today's world of recruiting.
Steve Sarkisian and the coaching staff know this, and should remain aggressive in their pursuit of Sales all the way up until signing day.
A Royal flip to LSU would essentially the end of any chance Texas had at signing him.
Stranger things have happened, but it's very hard to imagine him flipping back to the Longhorns after being committed to them since November.
There would have been no reason to flip his commitment in the first place at that point.
With Royal potentially out of the picture, the Longhorns still hold commitments from No.
1 cornerback John Meredith III and five-star offensive lineman Ismael Camara, but Texas only has two other commits at receiver with Briceson Thrower Jr.
and Kyron Brown.
The 2027 class is far from being complete, but missing out on Sales and losing Royal in only a matter of days would no doubt hurt for Texas.
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Zach Dimmitt is the Deputy Editor for Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI.
He also contributes as a writer for the On SI channels of the Oregon Ducks, Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans.
He was previously the editor-in-chief of Buffalo Bills on SI, Philadelphia Eagles on SI and Seattle Seahawks on SI.
Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Dimmitt received his Bachelors Degree in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin in 2022.
He originally started with SIs Fan Nation network in 2021, providing extensive coverage of the NFL and NBA along with college football and basketball.
In that time, Dimmitt has published thousands of stories and has reached millions of people across multiple fan bases.
You can follow him on X at @ZachDimmitt7 Follow ZachDimmitt7.