Recruiting analyst makes early prediction for Tennessee Vols to land elite 5-star recruit
On3's Chad Simmons made a "way-too-early" prediction this week for the Tennessee Vols to land one of the top players in the 2026 recruiting class. It's still early in the recruiting cycle, but Simmons, for now, thinks Tennessee is the team best positioned to secure a commitment from 2026 five-star wide receiver Tristen Keys. "Tristen […]
On3's Chad Simmons made a "way-too-early" prediction this week for the Tennessee Vols to land one of the top players in the 2026 recruiting class.
It's still early in the recruiting cycle, but Simmons, for now, thinks Tennessee is the team best positioned to secure a commitment from 2026 five-star wide receiver Tristen Keys.
"Tristen Keys will be one of the most coveted playmakers in the 2026 class, and like most, it will be hard for him to get out of the state of Mississippi," wrote Simmons. "Texas A&M is one to watch with Ole Miss and Mississippi State working hard to keep him home. Southern Miss is in his backyard and the Eagles recently re-offered, but Tennessee has done a great job in recent months. They have built strong relationships, he has taken visits to Knoxville and he has started to bond with other commits, like quarterback commit Faizon Brandon."
Simmons noted that his confidence level in his prediction is "low", though that's to be expected with recruiting being as volatile as it these days.
Keys, 6-foot-2/175 lbs from Hattiesburg, MS, is rated by 247Sports as the No. 1 wide receiver in the nation and the No. 1 player in the state of Mississippi. He's also rated as the No. 4 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class.
Tennessee badly needs to upgrade its talent at the wide receiver position — especially if they plan to compete against teams like Ohio State (the talent gap between Ohio State's wide receivers and Tennessee's wide receivers was quite noticeable during the Vols' loss to the Buckeyes in the first round of the College Football Playoff). Landing Keys would a huge step in the right direction for Tennessee's wide receiver group.
There's still a long way go, however, in this recruiting battle. We've seen plenty of teams lead for recruits only to lose out to another program late in the recruiting cycle. The Vols are doing a good job with Keys, but they'll have to continue to impress the obviously elite wide receiver if they're going to convince him to leave Mississippi for Rocky Top.
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