Tennessee Football sent shockwaves across the recruiting world on Thursday night by flipping longtime LSU wide receiver commit Tristen Keys. The Mississippi native and five-star prospect had been committed to the Tigers since March, but Josh Heupel and his staff kept their foot on the gas throughout the summer.
The hard work ended up paying off in a huge way for Tennessee with the news on Thursday.
Keys is widely considered one of the top players and receivers in the class. 247Sports’ Composite Rankings has the 6-foot-2.5 receiver as the No. 4 overall player, while Rivals’ Industry Rankings have him as the No. 9 player in the country. Both publications have him as the top-rated receiver in the 2026 cycle.
Keys is a do-it-all type of receiver on the field. He’s got the ability to create space in the short passing game and take the top off the defense through the long ball down the field. He’s an exciting play waiting to happen, and someone that Tennessee wants to pair up with its highly-touted quarterback recruits in the near future.
With the commitment, Tennessee’s class has now jumped up to a Top 10 position according to both 247 and Rivals, at No. 8 and No. 9, respectively.
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Here’s a look at some of the reactions from social media after Tristen Keys’ commitment to Tennessee on Thursday evening:
I see this and I like this 🙂↔️ https://t.co/kBcZG01a5u
— Admiral Schofield (@Uncle_Scho) August 28, 2025
It was only a matter of time😂🍊 https://t.co/J8z2kZuGG7
— Theron “TJ” White Jr (@TjWhite1_) August 28, 2025
Lets gooooo!! https://t.co/i4ilaYD1od
— Faizon Brandon (@faizon_brandon) August 28, 2025
Tennessee’s WR class is LOADED..
5-star Tristen Keys
4-star Salesi Moa
4-star Tyreek King
4-star Legend BeyThe Vols have been in attack mode pic.twitter.com/29129jJlmV
— Rocky Top Now (@rockytopnow) August 28, 2025
Yeah, I’d say being a flagship program for Adidas is going to pay off, especially when it comes to promoting our brand. Tristen Keys is now in the bio of their official account. pic.twitter.com/B2Ktzzr732
— Orange Kool-aid (@Vol_Bender) August 28, 2025
Tennessee now has the #1 QB and #1 WR in the class.
– Faizon Brandon
– Tristen Keys pic.twitter.com/spceUHeTCC— Rocky Top Now (@rockytopnow) August 28, 2025
.@adidas THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TRISTEN KEYS
— Barstool Rocky Top (@BarstoolTenn) August 28, 2025
#GodsPlan https://t.co/6jxhWiZoXl
— Tristen(TK5)Keys 5⭐️ (@Tkgot5) August 28, 2025
LSU has lost the No. 1 WR in its respective class in back to back cycles:
2025: Dakorien Moore (flipped to Oregon)
2026: Tristen Keys (flipped to Tennessee)Very interesting, as LSU is one of the best at developing its WRs & turning them into NFL starshttps://t.co/fjq7opY34F pic.twitter.com/AF8gfh8qoS
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) August 28, 2025
Tristen Keys: 5 Star Plus No. 6 overall
Salesi Moa: 4/5 Star No. 31 overall
Tyreek King: 4 Star No. 106 overall
Legend Bey: 4 Star No. 378 overall
One of if not the best WR class we’ve ever signed 🍊🍊🍊— Jordan (@JordanParks23) August 29, 2025
New Tennessee 5⭐️ WR commit Tristen Keys is a big fan of fellow Vols WR commit Tyreek King 😮💨🔥 pic.twitter.com/yKlGmSCYYf
— TorresOnTennessee (@TorresontheVols) August 29, 2025
Faizon Brandon and Tristen keys in 2028 pic.twitter.com/6FJreo4uiL
— I am Bru (@joshdobbspube) August 28, 2025
Me liking all the Tristen Keys flip tweets #GBO 🍊 pic.twitter.com/Xn7mJHWmnV
— Matt Shaffer (@Matt_Shaffer) August 28, 2025
It’s appears Josh Heupel had a plan when he purged the WR room before Spring.
Vols now have a potential stacked WR room for next year. Blue chips everywhere.
Chris Brazzell
Mike Matthews
Braylon Staley
Radarius Jackson
Travis Smith
Joakim Dodson
Tristen Keys
Tyreek King— Tennessee Williams (@TN_Williams) August 28, 2025
Tennessee WR Coach Kelsey Pope’s recruiting has been on a tear.
5⭐️ Tristen Keys #1 Overall
5⭐️ Mike Matthews
5⭐️Salesi Moa
4✨Tyreek King
4✨Legend Bey
4✨Braylon Staley
4✨Travis Smith
4✨Joakim Dodson
4✨Radarious JacksonJust unreal pic.twitter.com/JeanACHXBV
— SullenSerf (@SullenSerf) August 29, 2025
