LSU is cooking up some real spicy gumbo down in Baton Rouge. Tristen Keys, that No. 1 ranked wide receiver and No. 3 overall prospect, just dropped a bombshell last week, shaking up the whole SEC. He was supposed to be hitting up Alabama, Ole Miss, and Tennessee for official visits this summer. But Brian Kelly and LSU? They weren’t playing around. They went all in, locking down Keys from Hattiesburg High before he could even step foot on those other campuses. And just like that, LSU is officially the No. 1 recruiting class in college football for 2026.
But, hold up, here’s where it gets interesting. Remember how Michigan swooped in and grabbed Bryce Underwood right out from under LSU? Well, history might be repeating itself. Because now, there’s another SEC heavyweight lurking, eyeing up another top player, and ready to throw down with Brian Kelly. It’s like the vultures aren’t just circling, they’re straight-up diving in. Round 1 goes to Kelly, but the fight is far from over.
Lane Kiffin is making his way toward Tristen Keys as On3’s Billy Embody hits X with the news saying, “Ole Miss is hosting an SEC commit this weekend as Lane Kiffin & Co. get to work on a 5-star flip.” And Tristen has already got a soft spot for Ole Miss. The Mississippi native has visited Ole Miss several times in the past, and talking about his experience with them, he said, “Ole Miss great school, great offense. They get the ba-l in the air, that’s what I like as a receiver because, you know, you want the b–l, great environment, as well, they get loud. Love the coaches, they have some great coaches.” Now, that’s definitely not something Brian Kelly wants to hear.
Ole Miss is hosting a SEC commit this weekend as Lane Kiffin & Co. get to work on a 5-star flip.
Just the start of a big weekend in Oxford…https://t.co/wd2BP3d1V4 pic.twitter.com/NrX9835gKJ
— Billy Embody (@BillyEmbody) March 22, 2025
So even though Tristen’s got that Ole Miss love, let’s not forget the 6-foot-2, 185-pound wideout still picked Brian Kelly’s squad without even taking those official visits. He was seriously impressed, not just with the team, but with the whole vibe. As Keys told 247Sports’ Tom Loy, “It was the best place for me to get to the next level in life and football. Even if football doesn’t work out, I’ll be successful in life just by going to LSU. You see Angel Reese, you see Malik Nabers, you see Jetta [Justin Jefferson], and you see Shaq—all of them. They are known for going to LSU. They develop you in every way possible.”
With Keys on board, LSU now boasts seven recruits for 2026, and he’s their first out-of-state grab. He’ll be joining some serious talent already on the team, like Kenny Darby and Jakai Anderson. Thanks to Keys, LSU just snagged the top spot in On3’s recruiting rankings, hitting a 94.383 score. That’s right, Brian Kelly’s crew just leapfrogged USC and Oregon.
Now, could Lane Kiffin pull off some kind of flip? Maybe. But until then, let’s see what Kelly’s cooking up in Baton Rouge—he’s building something massive!
Brian Kelly’s roster reloaded
Kelly is locking down LSU’s future, no doubt. They’re stacking elite talent, one of only four programs with multiple top-100 commits this cycle. Tristen Keys just joined a seriously stacked group of blue-chip players. And New Orleans Edna Karr? They’ve been a major player in this class, with four-star defensive lineman Richard Anderson (No. 29 overall) leading the charge last June, followed by four-star safety Aiden Hall (No. 55) in August. Anderson’s the top-ranked defensive lineman in the class, and Hall’s holding down that No. 5 safety spot.
Plus, they snagged four-star OT Brysten Martinez (No. 92 overall, No. 8 OT) last month. Keys is the only out-of-state commit right now, but LSU’s building something special in Baton Rouge. Brian Kelly’s not slowing down after landing Keys and that No. 1 class. He’s been hitting the transfer portal hard, too, adding talent for a potential 2025 playoff run. Back in December, they brought in 16 transfers to beef up the roster, and a bunch of them are turning heads in spring ball, with a lot to prove.
It’s clear Brian Kelly’s got his eyes on the prize. As he says, “It is business, I mean they are here to win a championship, and they take their craft serious, they go to work and it’s fun,” Kelly said. He’s got that championship-bound coach vibe. Bottom line? Brian Kelly’s building something amazing at LSU. If this hype’s real, the Tigers could be the team everyone’s gunning for in the playoffs.
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