LSU’s 2026 recruiting class suffered a high-profile blow Thursday for which many had been bracing for several months.
Five-star Hattiesburg, Miss., wide receiver Tristen Keys announced his decision to flip his commitment from the Tigers to Tennessee.
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound pass-catcher was one of the top-ranked prospects in LSU’s highly ranked class — the No. 7 overall prospect and No. 1 wide receiver according to Rivals’ composite industry rankings.
Only two-way University Lab lineman Lamar Brown ranks higher at No. 2 overall.
Keys initially pledged to LSU in March, but had continued to be pursued heavily by the Volunteers, home-state Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Miami, Alabama and others and to make recruiting visits to other campuses during the summer.
On Thursday, he shared his change of plans on where he intends to sign in December.
The Tigers’ class now includes two wide receivers — Destrehan’s Jabari Mack and Airline’s Kenny Darby — among its 18 current commitments.
Earlier this year, that group also included Keys and Jakai Anderson, the former McDonogh 35 star who flipped to SMU in May and transferred to Edna Karr this summer. And LSU had continued to recruit other highly ranked targets such as Ethan “Boobie” Feaster (DeSoto, Texas) and Jase Mathews (Greene County, Miss.), who committed this summer to USC and Auburn, respectively.