What It Means: Nation's No. 1 Wide Receiver Flips Pledge From LSU Football to SEC Foe

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers lost a commitment from Hattiesburg (Miss.) five-star wide receiver Tristen Keys on Thursday evening after flipping his pledge to the Tennessee Volunteers.

The nation's top-ranked wideout took to social media to reveal his decision after being committed to the LSU Tigers since March.

Keys has enjoyed a rigorous recruitment process across the last handful of months after committing to the Bayou Bengals where he took multiple official visits over the summer.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder took multi-day stays to check-in with the LSU Tigers, Miami Hurricanes, Texas A&M Aggies, Tennessee Volunteers and Auburn Tigers this offseason while evaluating his options.

Following official visits, buzz continued circulating that Keys' attention was shifting towards the Volunteers as Josh Heupel's program was chipping away.

But Keys remained loyal to his commitment to the LSU Tigers across the summer months.

"When it comes to money and development, of course I'd take development first because we trying to get to that big money, which is NFL," Keys said. "When it comes to 700 to seven figures, and the production is there with the 700, I would take it because I want to be ready and prepared for the next level as fast as possible. So development is No. 1 for me, for sure."

"I just feel like choosing development over money is a smart business decision, honestly," Keys added. "When you get on the field, make plays, more opportunities come."