The Tennessee Vols suffered a tough loss on the recruiting trail on Wednesday when 2026 five-star wide receiver Tristen Keys committed to the LSU Tigers. 

Tennessee had long been viewed as the leader for Keys, who recently had a visit to UT that went exceptionally well, which is why it was quite a shock when he committed to LSU seemingly out of nowhere. 

One of the big reasons why Keys committed to LSU is because of the Tigers' track record of putting elite wide receivers in the NFL. 

Several of the top wide receivers currently in the NFL played college football in Baton Rouge, including Ja'Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Malik Nabers, and Brian Thomas Jr. 

Just a couple of days before Keys committed to LSU, Chase signed a contract extension with the Cincinnati Bengals that made him the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history. 

Unfortunately for head coach Josh Heupel and the Vols, Tennessee doesn't have a great track record in recent years when it comes to putting wide receivers in the NFL. 

Three wide receivers that played at Tennessee under Heupel have been selected in the NFL draft — Cedric Tillman, Velus Jones, and Jalin Hyatt. 

Jones is on his fourth NFL team since entering the league in 2022. Hyatt barely saw the field last season for the New York Giants, and Tillman has played in only 25 of 34 regular season game for the Cleveland Browns over the last two seasons. 

Tennessee hasn't a wide receiver total 1,000 yards in a season in the NFL since 2002 when Peerless Price caught 92 passes for 1,252 yards while playing for the Buffalo Bills. 

LSU, meanwhile, saw four former Tigers standouts go over 1,200 receiving yards in the NFL in 2024. 

If you're a top wide receiver recruit, that's a tough factoid to ignore. 

And it was something that was on Keys' mind when he made his decision to commit to LSU. 

"They also develop receivers. They get you ready for the pros," said Keys to 247Sports after committing to LSU. 

Tennessee's landed some elite wide receiver talent in recent years under Heupel, including five-star wide receiver Mike Matthews and high four-star wide receiver Travis Smith Jr. 

But if the Vols are going to continue to land elite wide receiver talent, or if they want to be a bigger factor for the top wide receiver in the nation on an annual basis, then some former Tennessee wide receivers are going to have to prove they can have success in the NFL. 

Whether it's Hyatt or Tillman enjoying a breakout season, or a guy like Dont'e Thornton taking the league by storm as a rookie in 2025, the Vols badly need a former UT wide receiver to break through and become one of the top receivers in the NFL to show that the program can produce elite pro wide outs.

Otherwise, Keys won't be the last five-star wide receiver that Tennessee just barely misses out on.  

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