Elite recruiting target gives Brian Kelly his flowers as 2026 LSU class takes shape
One of the big recruiting wins this offseason has been Brian Kelly's landing of Tristen Keys. The five-star receiver from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, is the universal top playmaker in the class and a top-three prospect overall. Now, Keys is working to bring more high-end talent with him to LSU as they look to build a contending […]
One of the big recruiting wins this offseason has been Brian Kelly's landing of Tristen Keys. The five-star receiver from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, is the universal top playmaker in the class and a top-three prospect overall.
Now, Keys is working to bring more high-end talent with him to LSU as they look to build a contending roster. He spoke to Bryce Koon of Geaux247 about his outlook on the program.
"They do great things on and off the field. Great coaching staff. They do a good job producing top receivers. They did a pretty good job in the draft last year, both of them. Top receivers had 1,000 yards each…That's something I want to be a part of."
Keys was asked about what Kelly and his staff said to win him over, and what he needed to know before making his decison.
"Knowing that not just me, but me and my family are taken care of, that part. Knowing I have a relationship with the coach on and off the field, being able to talk about ball all day and giving me advice life things like finance or being a grown man."
Finally, with LSU building a special recruiting class, he made sure to call out the program's success.
"For sure. We're doing a great job recruiting guys and there's more to come.
Here's how Keys' game has been described by Koon.
Keys is a potential game-wrecker on the outside with high-end ball skills that mirror those of CeeDee Lamb. A three-level separator who averaged 21.9 yards per catch this past fall for a Hattiesburg program that played for a Mississippi Class 6A championship, Keys can eat up cushion with his lanky stride before breaking off defensive backs with sudden cuts. He has the bounce to make acrobatic grabs look almost routine and is surprisingly shifty in traffic.
