About 48 hours before LSU is slated to open the 2025 season at Clemson on Saturday, Brian Kelly and the Tigers suffered a crushing blow on the recruiting trail on Thursday. Tristen Keys, the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2026 class, has been committed to LSU since March. However, it was announced on Thursday afternoon that Keys has flipped his commitment and will no longer be a Tiger.
Not only is Keys no longer Baton Rouge bound, but he heads to a different SEC team. Josh Heupel and the Tennessee Volunteers are now the choice for the highly-coveted recruit. It's a big get for the Vols, and a massive loss for LSU.
🚨BREAKING🚨 5-star WR Tristen Keys has flipped his commitment from LSU to Tennessee🍊
— Rivals (@Rivals) August 28, 2025
Keys is the No. 1 WR in the 2026 class.
Read: https://t.co/BSQz5H2In7 pic.twitter.com/fJ6GJAE8l3
Keys' flip from Tennessee is a crushing loss for LSU
Despite Keys' commitment to LSU, Heupel and Tennessee have been working to get him to Knoxville. The Vols continued to maintain contact with Keys, and in July, Rivals’ Chad Simmons reported that Tennessee was viewed as “LSU’s top competition heading into the season.”
Keys visited the Vols in June, and went viral donning Tennessee gear. Five-star QB commit Faizon Brandon was also on campus, and his pitch to Keys seems to have helped in the process. Brandon is the No. 1 QB in the 2026 class, and now has his top target as Keys follows him to Knoxville.
Keys is a senior at Hattiesburg High School in Mississippi. He is a 6-foot-3, 180-pound receiver with elite athleticism, and collected 58 receptions for 1,275 yards and 14 touchdowns during his junior season. He should have a monster senior season as well.
The loss of Keys' five-star abilities is crushing for LSU. With Keys, LSU had the No. 8 recruiting class in the country for 2026, but that will likely change with Keys' flip. As it stands, the Tigers have WR commitments from four-star Jabari Mack and four-star Kenny Darby in the 2026 class.