Yardbarker
Yardbarker
x
Miami Still in Play for No. 1 WR in 2026 Class Despite LSU Commitment
USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Hurricanes are quietly gaining steam in their pursuit of the nation’s top wide receiver in the 2026 class. Five-star standout Tristen Keys, currently committed to LSU, just wrapped up a pivotal official visit to Coral Gables, and the buzz coming out of that trip suggests Miami could be positioning itself for a flip.

Keys, a native of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, is the crown jewel of LSU’s 2026 recruiting class and widely regarded as the No. 1 wide receiver in the nation. He made headlines earlier this cycle with a surprise commitment to the Tigers. At the time, many believed programs like Miami held the edge in his recruitment, but LSU managed to secure a pledge earlier than most expected. Now, the Hurricanes are looking to turn the tide back in their favor.

According to several insiders, Keys came away from his visit to Miami seriously impressed with the direction of the program under Mario Cristobal. Sources close to the situation indicate that the Hurricanes made a significant impression both on and off the field, highlighting their offensive vision, NIL opportunities, and player development track record at the wide receiver position. Miami’s pitch seems to have resonated.

This is the second visit to Miami by Keys in just a month. This latest visit has reopened the door to a recruitment that once looked locked down. Keys himself reportedly hinted that he still has a decision to make, a statement that should raise eyebrows in Baton Rouge. While LSU anticipated that Keys would explore his options with official visits, the level of uncertainty surrounding his commitment has increased following his time in South Florida.

As Miami continues to host top-tier talent and build momentum on the recruiting trail, the situation with Tristen Keys bears close watching. A flip from LSU would be a massive statement for the Hurricanes and a potential cornerstone for their 2026 class. With more official visits ahead, nothing is final, but Miami is making this recruitment far more interesting than LSU would like to see.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST

James Franklin is the head coach who can resurrect Virginia Tech 
College Football

James Franklin is the head coach who can resurrect Virginia Tech 

The college football head-coaching carousel is wilder than it has ever been. It got even wilder on Sunday when LSU parted ways with Brian Kelly. LSU, Florida and Penn State are all open at the same time. UCLA is, too, along with Oklahoma State. Virginia Tech is another. However, for the right head coach, it's one of the best jobs available. The Hokies used to be a perennial power in the ACC, even reaching the BCS National Championship game when Michael Vick was the quarterback. Since Frank Beamer retired, the program has been stuck in the abyss. At one point during Beamer's reign, the Hokies had 11 double-digit-win seasons in 13 years. Since his retirement, Virginia Tech has had one, which came the year after Beamer stepped down. It's gone downhill fast. In five of the past seven seasons, Virginia Tech has had a losing record. The Hokies are 3-5 this season. The program needs a jolt of energy, and luckily enough, James Franklin is available to provide it. James Franklin has the perfect pedigree for Virginia Tech The recently fired Penn State football head coach has one of the best resumes of any active college football coach. Franklin has won 68 percent of his games in 14 seasons as a head coach, which makes him one of three active coaches to do that. Penn State finished in the top 12 of the College Football Playoff rankings in seven of the past nine seasons. He's won five playoff games/New Year's Six bowl games. The resume is impressive. Maybe he didn't beat enough ranked teams in Happy Valley, but if he could replicate that success in Blacksburg, he'd be a legend. And if you think Franklin can't win in Blacksburg at a program like Virginia Tech, think again. The reason Franklin got the opportunity to coach Penn State was his unprecedented success at Vanderbilt. In three seasons under Franklin, the Commodores never missed a bowl game. They actually went 9-4 in his last two seasons, giving him a 24-15 record at Vanderbilt. If you can win there, you can win anywhere in college football. Especially nowadays, as revenue share and NIL have evened the playing field somewhat. Beyond the wins, Franklin can recruit. Penn State is Penn State. But he still landed players like Saquon Barkley and Micah Parsons. He coached 59 NFL Draft picks with Penn State. Recruits will pay attention to that. Speaking of recruiting — the lifeblood of any program — Franklin should be able to take advantage of the strong recruiting pipeline that is the DMV. Penn State often recruited from that area. Maryland has cleaned up in recent years, but with a big-name coach like Franklin at Virginia Tech, the Hokies would be better positioned to get some of that elite talent. Virginia Tech would be in a better spot for NIL, too. Franklin is proven. He could get fans and donors excited. People would talk about Virginia Tech again, plus, as Georgia Tech and SMU have shown, there is a path to the College Football Playoff in the ACC. Franklin might not be able to win the whole thing, but if there is one head coach who could get the Hokies to the College Football Playoff, it's him. Pete Nakos of On3 has reported that there is interest, and frankly, it makes too much sense not to happen.

Raiders’ Mark Davis Sends Message Every Fan Needed to Hear
NFL

Raiders’ Mark Davis Sends Message Every Fan Needed to Hear

The Las Vegas Raiders have the best defensive player in the National Football League, in Maxx Crosby. Crosby has been a force to deal with over the last few years. He has been all over the quarterbacks he has faced during that time. He loves to play the game and do it for the Silver and Black. That has been his team since day one, and the team that believed in him, when no one else gave him his opportunity. Crosby is the face of the Raiders franchise, and he wants to win as badly as anyone for this organization. He is having another good season in 2025 and is looking to get better and create more chaos in the backfield for the offense. He is one of a kind, and the Raiders need to do a better job of putting a good team around him to capitalize on what type of player Crosby is. Raiders Owner Mark Davis on Maxx Crosby "Asked about interest in Crosby and the team's decision not to trade him, Raiders owner Mark Davis told NFL.com he doesn't understand why people keep asking," said NFL Insider Ian Rapoport. "I don't know how many times I've got to say it," Davis said this past week following the Fall League Meeting in New York. "It's really hard to keep getting asked the same question every month or week or whatever when the answer's going to stay the same. I don't know why anybody would think I'd change my mind or the organization would." This past offseason, the Raiders signed Crosby to a three-year, $106.5 million extension through the 2029 campaign. Davis knows it's natural for teams to take a look around the league and covet what isn't theirs. However, he said "everything about Maxx is awesome" and he doesn't see him leaving. "Everybody wants to have your great players," Davis said. "It starts there, it doesn't start with us." Crosby has also made it very clear that he wants to stay with the Silver and Black and win in Las Vegas. But it is a question that is always asked because of the bad product the Raiders are putting on the field. The Raiders will get to soon if they made the right adjustments during their bye week, in Week 9 agiant the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Nationals set to hire MLB's youngest manager in over 50 years
MLB

Nationals set to hire MLB's youngest manager in over 50 years

The Washington Nationals were one of a handful of teams heading into the offseason needing a new manager. The Nats fired former manager Dave Martinez, who helped lead them to their first World Series title in 2019, ahead of the All-Star break. They then had to decide if they wanted to keep interim manager Miguel Cairo or head in another direction. The Nationals decided to go in a different direction, announcing on Thursday that they are set to hire the youngest MLB manager in over 50 years. Nationals will hire Blake Butera to be their next manager After going 29-43 after taking over for Martinez, the Nationals decided that Cairo wasn't the man to lead them forward. Washington is hiring 33-year-old Blake Butera to be its next manager, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Butera will be a new voice to pair with the new president of baseball operations, Paul Toboni, who took over for former executive Mike Rizzo. According to Passan, Butera will be the youngest manager in more than 50 years. Butera joins Oliver Marmol (39) of the St. Louis Cardinals as the only managers in baseball under 40 years old. In his four-year career as a minor league manager in the Tampa Bay Rays organization, Butera accumulated a 258-144 record. That should bode well for him going to Washington, especially after six straight losing seasons. A former 35th-round draft pick of the Rays, Butera is also a former two-time minor league Manager of the Year in the Rays organization and was the bench coach for Team Italy in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Nationals need to give Blake Butera everything he needs to be successful Being so young and "inexperienced," Toboni and the Nationals organization will need to surround Butera with a veteran coaching staff. In particular, an experienced bench coach to help guide him through being a big league manager. Someone like former Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington would be a good hire to help guide Butera, given his managerial experience and longtime coaching. Coming from the Rays organization, Butera can bring over things he's learned there to help the Nationals improve as an organization. The Rays are consistently at the forefront of analytics and new, innovative ways to build a successful baseball team. Having a young roster and only two players with a decade in the big leagues (Josh Bell and Trevor Williams), Butera should find it easy to connect with some of his younger players, given his age. However, veterans may find it hard to listen to someone as inexperienced as Butera, which he’ll need to work on if the Nationals add any more to help mentor their young core.

Warriors castoff has a career night against his old team
NBA

Warriors castoff has a career night against his old team

The Golden State Warriors traded away Ryan Rollins in 2023 after one season and 12 games with the team. Thursday night, Rollins showed the Warriors what they missed out on. With Giannis Antetokounmpo out with an injury, Rollins scored a career-high 32 points and dished out eight assists as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Warriors, 120-110. Rollins went 5-for-7 from three-point range, tying his career best, and went 13-for-21 overall. In the last four minutes after the Warriors got within points, Rollins had eight points and an assists. Oh, and he outscored Stephen Curry, 32-27. Warriors gave up on Ryan Rollins after one season Golden State traded up to draft Rollins with the No. 44 pick in the 2022 draft, believing that the then-19-year-old guard from Toledo could help it reload their championship roster, which was getting up in age. But Rollins missed Summer League due to a foot injury, then suffered a season-ending Jones fracture. After the season, the Warriors sent Rollins and fellow 2022 draftee Patrick Baldwin, Jr. to the Washington Wizards along with Jordan Poole. In exchange, they got 38-year-old Chris Paul, a serious reversal in the team's earlier youth movement. Rollins was included in the deal to help the Warriors dump Poole's contract, which spanned four more seasons, and to ditch his own guaranteed deal. After a troubled partial season in Washington, the Wizards waived Rollins and he caught on with the Bucks in February 2024. Ryan Rollins' huge night showed the 23-year-old's improvement One game after Rollins had a career-high 25 points against the New York Knicks, he set another career high, this time without Antetokounmpo there to score 37 points and take up the defense's attention. Even with a great defensive player like Jimmy Butler on him, Rollins delivered in the clutch. Rollins has gone 9-for-11 from three-point range in his last two games, but it doesn't feel like a fluke. Last year he shot 40.8% on threes and hit 80% of his free throws, a strong indicator Rollins can truly shoot the ball. He also had 12 steals in his first four games, and while he didn't have a takeaway Thursday night, Rollins has more steals than turnovers (10) on the season and an excellent assist-to-turnover ratio of 5-to-2. Last season, Rollins was a solid reserve, averaging 6.2 points and 1.9 assists while starting 19 games. But with Damian Lillard suffering an Achilles tear and then being waived by the Bucks, Rollins got an opportunity, and got an even bigger one when Kevin Porter, Jr. sprained his ankle in the season opener. Rollins looks like he's going to have a serious future in the NBA. Unfortunately for the Warriors, that future won't be with them.

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!