On Thursday night, Tennessee football pulled off the flip of one of the top-ranked recruits in the country. Tristen Keys, the No. 4 overall recruit, according to 247, backed off his commitment to LSU and flipped to join the Vols. He is the consensus No. 1 wide receiver in the country.
Keys ranks as a five-star recruit across all platforms. The Hattiesburg native also ranks as the top player in the state of Mississippi in the 2026 recruiting cycle. While the 6-foot-2 receiver has long been a LSU commit, he took official visits to Miami, Texas A&M, Tennessee and LSU back in June. Tennessee and Texas A&M were both legit contenders to flip the best prep receiver in the country, but it was Heupel, Kelsey Pope and the Vols that ended up getting the job done.
Pope, Tennessee’s receivers coach, has done a fantastic job helping the Vols put together one of the best receiver classes in the 2026 cycle. In addition to Keys, Tennessee boasts commitments from Salesi Moa (No. 31 player), Tyreek King (No. 106 player) and Legend Bey (No. 378 player) this cycle.
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After his commitment, some of Keys’ future teammates took to their X accounts to congratulate him on the move. Here’s what they said.
5-star QB Faizon Brandon
Lets gooooo!! https://t.co/i4ilaYD1od
— Faizon Brandon (@faizon_brandon) August 28, 2025
Gbooo!! Lets get ittt!!🍊🍊 https://t.co/iWqg33KLoM
— Faizon Brandon (@faizon_brandon) August 28, 2025
5-star OL Gabriel Osenda
LETS GOOOO WELCOME HOME 🍊 #RockyTop https://t.co/i7qLUQ6KZ4
— Gabriel “Big Squish” Osenda (@gabriel_osenda) August 28, 2025
4-star EDGE Zach Groves
Welcome home‼️🍊 https://t.co/i2wWfSDsUN
— Zach Groves (@Groves_Zach0) August 28, 2025
4-star LB TJ White
It was only a matter of time😂🍊 https://t.co/J8z2kZuGG7
— Theron “TJ” White Jr (@TjWhite1_) August 28, 2025
