A new era has begun in the Ohio State wide receiver room with Brian Hartline officially gone and off to USF, and now Cortez Hankton is taking over. Hankton comes to the Buckeyes from LSU, where he spent the 2024 and 2025 seasons with the Tigers. He was once a receiver himself at Texas Southern University and then went on to play a few seasons in the NFL.
Hankton has some big shoes to fill as Hartline built Ohio State's wide receiver room into one of the best in the country. So, his first move as the receivers coach seems like he is trying to swing for the fences, and Ohio State fans should love it.
The first offer Hankton has made is to five-star recruit Easton Royal in the Class of 2027, who is already committed to the Texas Longhorns.
The first offer that Cortez Hankton issues at Ohio State is to five-star Texas commit Easton Royal.
— Mick Walker (@mickdwalker) January 7, 2026
Hankton recruited the Louisiana native while at LSU. Royal visited Ohio State for the Texas game as well.https://t.co/sQ3AytTSe8 https://t.co/rQKMKgeLXZ pic.twitter.com/tXggtWi0Rx
Royal was being recruited to LSU by Hankton earlier, but he chose the Longhorns over everyone else. Hankton should be familiar with Ohio State, as he was at the game in Week 1 of the season. So, that means Royal saw how great he could be with Ohio State in that wide receivers room.
The New Orleans native is a five-star recruit ranked the No. 12 player in the nation, the No. 3 wide receiver in the Class of 2027, and the No. 1 player in the state of Louisiana, according to 247Sports Composite recruiting ratings.
Landing Royal's flip would be a huge statement for Hankton to make at Ohio State to prove that he doesn't plan on anything changing. Hankton wants Ohio State to continue to have the best receiver room in the country, and Royal would be a great addition to that.