Report details how former LSU head coach Brian Kelly made a mistake that ended up helping out the Tennessee Vols in a big way

Former LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly unintentionally did the Tennessee Vols a big favor.

Zach Ragan — Tennessee Volunteers News Writer
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One of the Tennessee Vols’ biggest roster additions this offseason was easily 2026 five-star wide receiver Tristen “TK” Keys.

Keys, 6-foot-2 from Hattiesburg, MS, is rated by 247Sports as the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2026 recruiting class.

The Mississippi native initially committed to the LSU Tigers last spring, but he flipped his commitment to Tennessee in August.

A big reason why Keys flipped was because of the incompetence of former LSU head coach Brian Kelly.

Brian Kelly dropped the ball with Tristen Keys

According to On3/Rivals, one of the reasons Keys decommitted from LSU was Kelly’s hands-off approach to his recruitment.

“Keys made an early declaration for LSU in March following a string of visits to contenders,” wrote On3’s Sam Spiegelman this week. “But Brian Kelly‘s passive role in Keys’ recruitment was in stark contrast to the substantial outreach from Mario Cristobal, Mike Elko and Josh Heupel that spring. When Kelly again made minimal effort during Key’s official visit in June, the five-star receiver told other recruits he was leaning toward flipping away from the Tigers.”

It was certainly a surprise when Keys committed to LSU last spring. His mom, in fact, was even surprised.

“Tennessee has been in this one the whole time now,” said said VolQuest’s Brent Hubbs in August during an appearance on 104.5 The Zone’s Ramon and Will. “He stunned everybody and surprised everybody when he upped and committed to LSU on an unofficial visit. His mom was surprised he committed to LSU on an unofficial visit. He got caught up in the moment.

“Tennessee never stopped, and that’s where (UT WRs coach) Kelsey Pope and everybody should deserve credit. They didn’t go, ‘Okay, well, we’re done there’. And then all of a sudden there’s an Adidas deal, and ‘Oh, okay, we can get him now’ — that’s not how this worked. They got him on campus multiple times. Kelsey Pope talked with him every chance he could, every week he could have a conversation. (Vols QB signee) Faizon Brandon worked the heck out of him and recruited him. So those guys deserve credit.”

Tennessee was always in a good spot for Keys — the Vols probably would’ve flipped him even if Kelly wasn’t a buffoon. But Kelly’s passive approach to recruiting definitely helped seal the deal a little quicker.

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