Tennessee commit Brayden Rouse has his eyes on the top of the Vols’ target list.
The four-star linebacker committed to Tennessee on Tuesday evening but appears to be already turning his attention back to the recruiting trail. Rouse is quickly going from being recruited to now becoming the recruiter for another high-end talent in the 2026 recruiting cycle.
Rouse is going after five-star wide receiver Tristen Keys.
Volquest’s Matt Ray spoke to Rouse about his commitment on Tuesday, with the newest Vol quickly revealing that he’s ready to go to work and try to flip the highly-touted LSU commit.
“I want to have the best recruiting class in the country,” Rouse told Ray, via X. “I am going to keep working to make this class the best it can be. The first guy I am going after is Tristen Keys.”
Keys has been a target that Tennessee has been making significant efforts to pursue on the recruiting trail, despite his commitment to Brian Kelly’s Tigers back in March.
On3 Sports’ Industry Rankings have Keys as the No. 5 prospect in the class, the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2026 cycle, and the No. 1 player from the state of Mississippi.
“A potential game-wrecker on the outside that can attack all three levels and constantly challenge defenses,” 247’s Andrew Ivins wrote about Keys in a November evaluation, comparing him to Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb. “Pairs elite ball skills together with dynamic route running, superior athleticism and a long-levered frame.”
Tennessee hosted Keys for a visit back in June. One of his clips in a UT uniform went viral on social media with more than six million views on X.
LSU 5-star WR commit Tristen Keys on his official visit to Tennessee🍊
(via br6y_/X)https://t.co/d8HQY52Khe pic.twitter.com/LlZ0vyhEdV
— Rivals (@Rivals) June 14, 2025
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Rouse won’t be the only one trying to flip Keys, though. His future Tennessee teammates have been trying to do so all summer.
Five-star quarterback commit Faizon Brandon has been very vocal about wanting to link up with Keys in the same recruiting class, setting up a potential game-changing tandem in Knoxville sooner rather than later.
U know where home is bro‼️#GBO 🍊 https://t.co/UGcQ8LcZ9A
— Faizon Brandon (@faizon_brandon) June 27, 2025
Tennessee wide receiver commit Tyreek King is excited about the possibility of playing alongside Keys, too. He recently gave Keys a recruiting pitch during an interview with WBIR reporter Elijah Nixon.
“C’mon, man,” King said. “LSU? C’mon. Come where it’s at. We’ve got a great class. Faizon (Brandon) being our QB. Me, him. Him outside, me slot. It would be unstoppable. Me and him would go crazy.”
“Come where it’s at.. (Faizon Brandon) being our QB.. (Tristen Keys) playing outside and me in the slot would be unstoppable.”
Tennessee commit, Tyreek King, on why Keys should flip from LSU and join the Vols.@Tyreekking15 @faizon_brandon @WBIRSports @Tkgot5 #GBO #Vols pic.twitter.com/kfas6FYhNG— Elijah Nixon (@ElijahNixon18) June 16, 2025
Keys is a top-five prospect in the nation for a reason. His talent is exceptional and he already appears ready for the next level. But while he does have a commitment to LSU, things can change. Tennessee has been looking to flip Keys for quite some time now, but also seemingly has a new soldier in the fight with newly-committed linebacker Brayden Rouse from Marietta, GA.
Rouse is listed as a four-star prospect, the No. 100 player in the 2026 class, the No. 7 linebacker in the nation, and the No. 10 player from Georgia, according to On3’s Industry Rankings.
Check out some of Tristen Keys’ impressive highlights below:
