{"id":2203,"date":"2026-06-26T09:03:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T09:03:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2203"},"modified":"2026-06-26T09:03:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T09:03:52","slug":"hough-star-quarterback-ethan-royal-makes-college-commitment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2203","title":{"rendered":"Hough star quarterback Ethan Royal makes college commitment"},"content":{"rendered":"

The top-ranked quarterback in North Carolina is heading to the Mountain State.<\/p>\n

Hough High School\u2019s Ethan Royal made his commitment to Marshall on Thursday night, choosing the Thundering Herd over James Madison.<\/p>\n

Read more 3 Charlotte office buildings sold to out-of-state investor for half of 2020 price<\/a><\/p>\n

He had 34 total offers, and narrowed the decision down to a final six programs.<\/p>\n

Royal made his commitment during a ceremony in the school\u2019s auditorium and was joined by his family and teammates.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis journey hasn\u2019t been easy,\u201d Royal said. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t be the man I am without any of you guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Royal, a three-star recruit, played an integral role in securing the first state state championship<\/a> in school history last season.<\/p>\n

He racked up 2,272 yards and 29 touchdowns last season en route to being named the 8A state championship MVP.<\/p>\n

Hough football coach DeShawn Baker said he\u2019s been most impressed by the growth in Royal\u2019s maturity since he arrived as a freshman.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe boy\u2019s confidence level is through the roof,\u201d Baker said onstage before Royal\u2019s commitment, \u201cHe doesn\u2019t see a throw he can\u2019t make. It drives me crazy half the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rising senior told The Charlotte Observer<\/a> in April that he has full intentions on repeating as state champions. Baker hopes that prophecy becomes reality.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou better do it again,\u201d Baker said to Royal.<\/p>\n

Royal sat at a table with hats from his top six offers, which also included Western Kentucky, North Texas, UConn and Ohio.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know y\u2019all see six hats up here, but really, there are only two,\u201d Royal said.<\/p>\n

One by one, he picked up the hats and flung them into the crowd. First it was UConn, then North Texas. It wasn\u2019t long until he was left with his top two offers \u2014 Marshall and JMU.<\/p>\n

Read more Lionel Richie Postpones More Shows After Cutting Tour\u2019s Opening Night Short<\/a><\/p>\n

The crowd burst into cheers when Royal put on the green and white Thundering Herd cap.<\/p>\n

Royal told The Observer that JMU and Marshall\u2019s offensive schemes fit him the best, ultimately choosing a Marshall squad that was a top-five offense in the Sun Belt Conference last season.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was fairly simple,\u201d Royal said. \u201cWhat offense fits me and what don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Royal will likely sit behind Preseason All-SBC First Team honoree Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, but that won\u2019t stop him from trying to make an early imprint.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m bringing a dawg mentality,\u201d he said. I\u2019m coming in Day 1 and trying to be a leader, a couple Sun Belt championships with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Royal said he kept his commitment a secret from his family. The only person he told was his brother, Kris, who played varsity football at Clinton High School from 2013-2014.<\/p>\n

Kris Royal said helping his brother chose from among 34 offers was a stressful experience that ultimately came down to where Ethan felt most at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat kind of school just stood out to us throughout that transition,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Kris Royal has been involved in Ethan\u2019s football journey since Ethan started playing at age 7, and admitted it was bittersweet watching his younger brother take his next step in his football career.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust seeing him blossom, and finally getting to this moment,\u201d he said. \u201cJust finding his home, that was big for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more JWoww Hits Back at Haters Who Slammed Her After Wedding Invite Snubs<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Royal led Hough High School to its first-ever state championship last season en route to being the championship MVP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2202,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nHough star quarterback Ethan Royal makes college commitment - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2203\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hough star quarterback Ethan Royal makes college commitment - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Royal led Hough High School to its first-ever state championship last season en route to being the championship MVP\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=2203\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"\u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-26T09:03:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2203#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2203\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93\"},\"headline\":\"Hough star quarterback Ethan Royal makes college commitment\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-26T09:03:52+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2203\"},\"wordCount\":579,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2203#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/d45ff46457c1a6e6ffd3998a891fb6c7.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Read today's Edition\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2203#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2203\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2203\",\"name\":\"Hough star quarterback Ethan Royal makes college commitment - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2203#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2203#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/d45ff46457c1a6e6ffd3998a891fb6c7.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-26T09:03:52+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2203#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2203\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=2203#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/d45ff46457c1a6e6ffd3998a891fb6c7.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/d45ff46457c1a6e6ffd3998a891fb6c7.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675,\"caption\":\"Ethan Royal announced his commitment to Marshall University on Thursday, June 25, 2026 at the Hough High School auditorium in Cornelius, NC. 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