# SEC Evening Report: Georgia Takes Over No. 1 as Texas Tumbles and Florida Lands Easton Royal **Published:** 2026-10-11 — **By:** Stacy Stanfield **Category:** daily-roundup — **Type:** daily-roundup **Source:** https://secscouts.com/news/sec-evening-report-georgia-takes-over-no-1-as-texas-tumbles-and-florida-lands-easton-royal **Teams:** [Alabama](https://secscouts.com/alabama/), [Kentucky](https://secscouts.com/kentucky/), [LSU](https://secscouts.com/lsu/), [Miss State](https://secscouts.com/mississippi-state/), [Ole Miss](https://secscouts.com/ole-miss/) --- ## LEAD STORY: Georgia Claims No. 1 After Upheaval at the Top The SEC's pecking order changed in one weekend. Georgia is the new No. 1 in both the AP Top 25 and the Coaches Poll after going into Tuscaloosa and beating then-No. 6 Alabama 20-17. The Bulldogs took a top-10 win on the road, and Texas lost at the same time, so Georgia moved into the top spot. Texas had a much worse Saturday. The Longhorns lost 27-24 to Oklahoma on the final play at the Cotton Bowl, entering as a significant favorite. They fell from No. 1 to No. 7 in the AP poll and No. 6 in the Coaches Poll. Texas had spent four weeks at No. 1 in the AP, its longest run there since 1977, according to the RSS Aggregator report. The loss came against an Oklahoma team that entered the weekend with two losses. ESPN's Bill Connelly made Texas the centerpiece of his Week 6 column, asking what has gone wrong in Austin, while noting that Georgia is in great shape and Alabama's outlook is less clear. Alabama held steady despite the loss. The Crimson Tide stayed at No. 6 in the AP poll and sit No. 7 in the Coaches Poll. Florida went the other way. After a second straight defeat, a surprising 38-19 loss to South Carolina in Gainesville, the Gators dropped out of the Coaches Poll. Florida plays Texas next week, so both teams will be trying to stop a slide in a game with plenty at stake. ## QUICK HITS - **Vanderbilt ends No. 5 Florida's streak:** Vanderbilt volleyball beat No. 5 Florida in four sets (25-20, 22-25, 25-23, 25-16) in Nashville on Sunday afternoon, ending the Gators' 11-match winning streak. - **Kentucky holds off Ole Miss:** No. 4 Kentucky beat Ole Miss 3-1 at Historic Memorial Coliseum. The Rebels made a strong comeback push before coming up short. - **Texas volleyball swept at Oklahoma:** No. 9 Texas lost in three sets in Norman. Stafford led the Longhorns with 17 kills, and Texas pushed the third set to extra points before falling. - **Mississippi State stays perfect at home:** The Bulldogs swept South Carolina to extend their home win streak. - **Morrison earns PGA TOUR card:** Former Longhorn Tommy Morrison officially secured his 2027 PGA TOUR card by finishing No. 10 on the final Korn Ferry Tour Points List. ## PORTAL WATCH No transfer portal activity was reported in the last 12 hours. With the regular season well underway, portal news is quiet for now. Expect it to pick up again as the calendar moves toward the offseason windows. ## RECRUITING BUZZ **Five-star WR Easton Royal flips from Texas to Florida.** The No. 1 wide receiver in the 2027 class flipped his commitment from Texas to Florida this weekend, a day after another visit to Gainesville. He told Rivals' Hayes Fawcett: "Dreams to reality." Royal, a New Orleans product, had been committed to the Longhorns since November 2025 and was one of the first pieces of their 2027 class. Recruiting analysts expected the competition for him to continue until the early signing period. His hometown LSU Tigers were seen as the biggest threat at several points. Florida became a serious contender after his visit and the Gators' upset win over Ole Miss, and it ended up winning the race. The flip is a major win for Florida in a difficult week on the field. For Texas, it leaves two wide receivers in the 2027 class. Only one of them ranks in the top 300: Briceson Thrower Jr. from North Forney. According to the report, if Texas doesn't add another top receiver before December's signing day, it would be the second straight cycle without a top-100 pass catcher. The Longhorns do have young receivers on the roster, including Kaliq Lockett and Daylan McCutcheon, and they have used the transfer portal to add receivers before. **Softball:** Texas also picked up a 2028 commitment on the diamond. Infielder Ainsley Morvin announced she will play for the Longhorns, per D1Softball. ## GAMES TO WATCH No SEC games are scheduled for tonight. Here's what's coming up: - **Alabama women's golf at the Haskins Intercollegiate (Oct. 12-13):** The Crimson Tide return to action Monday. - **Men's golf at the Bryson Invitational:** The field heads to Trump National Doral Miami. - **Football: Texas vs. Florida (next week):** After Royal's flip and two damaging losses, this matchup has extra intensity. Texas is trying to recover from losing the No. 1 ranking, and Florida needs a win to stop a two-game skid. Georgia now has the top spot, and the rest of the conference will spend the next six weeks trying to take it. --- *Original article: [SEC Evening Report: Georgia Takes Over No. 1 as Texas Tumbles and Florida Lands Easton Royal](https://secscouts.com/news/sec-evening-report-georgia-takes-over-no-1-as-texas-tumbles-and-florida-lands-easton-royal) — SEC Scouts*