Tennessee has Top-10 recruiting class after 5-star flip

Tennessee pulled off the biggest flip of the 2026 recruiting cycle on Thursday as Hattiesburg (Miss.) five-star wide receiver Tristen Keys told Rivals that he’s flipped his commitment from LSU to the Volunteers.

Head coach Josh Heupel, receivers coach Kelsey Pope and the Vols have long been mentioned as a threat to LSU since Keys announced a surprise pledge to the Tigers back in March. Tennessee hung around, continued to swing for the 6-foot-2.5, 185-pounder and have now landed a massive pledge from the nation’s No. 1 wideout in the 2026 cycle.

The addition of Keys, of course, helps Tennessee make a big jump in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings, an equally weighted formula that utilizes the three major recruiting services. It moved from No. 12 to No. 9 nationally and now also ranks No. 5 in the SEC, ahead of LSU.

“Tennessee has been there a long time,” Keys told Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong. “I’ve always loved the coaches. Every part of the coaching staff from the offense and defense. The environment, the people, the fans, you can see them going crazy. That’s the type of love I want. You can see they want me there.”

Tennessee’s summer surge continues into football season

The Vols now possess a deadly five-star duo at the top of their class. Keys flanks Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon, who pledged last August and has remained solid ever since.

After a slow spring, Tennessee really began to flesh out its class this summer thanks to myriad blue-chip wins. Last month, Heupel and Co. won out for four top-100 prospects.

Ogden (Utah) Fremont four-star athlete Salesi Moa spurned Utah and chose Tennessee on July 31. He’s the No. 46 overall prospect and has been mentioned more as a receiver. Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Oakland four-star ATH commit Joel Wyatt, however, looks to be a defensive recruit for the Vols. He chose the in-state school three days before Moa.

“It was always like being around family. The little things at Tennessee that always stand out,” Wyatt told Rivals’ Chad Simmons, detailing his decision. “The people, the culture, how they treat me and what it is like to be there make it different for me. The culture at Tennessee always made me comfortable.”

At the beginning of the month, the impressive linebacker duo of Marietta (Ga.) Kell four-star Brayden Rouse and Jackson (Miss.) Academy four-star TJ White both joined the fold. They check in as the nation’s No. 6 and No. 7 linebacker prospects, respectively.

A number of other noteworthy commitments have come down the pipe on Rocky Top, too. Four-star defensive lineman Dereon Albert is a teammate of White and also committed on July 1. On the offensive line, Winston Salem (N.C.) East Forsyth four-star offensive tackle J.B. Shabazz committed on July 11, while Clarksville (Tenn.) Kirkwood four-star OT Kamari Blair flipped to the Vols from South Carolina on Aug. 21.

The entire Tennessee class can be viewed here.