Ole Miss is ticking away nicely regarding the 2026 recruiting class and is in the hunt for some of the top recruits in the nation. Lane Kiffin and his staff are coming off back-to-back top 20 recruiting classes, and the names they are chasing; it would not be a surprise to make it three in a row.
One of those is in-state wide receiver Tristen Keys. The five-star talent is ranked the No.3 player in the On3 Industry Rankings and among several top Mississippi recruits. Keys is committed to the LSU Tigers, but the Rebels are still recruiting him hard. However, they are not the only ones with Miami, Florida, and Tennessee; a few names are still hot on the recruiting board.
Recent history has shown that Kiffin and Ole Miss are not out of this. During the 2025 recruiting class, Ole Miss was chasing five-star receiver Caleb Cunningham. Despite heavy efforts, the Ackerman, MS native committed to Alabama; it did not stop Kiffin, who was persistent, managing to flip Cunningham late in the process. he is now on the roster ready for the 2025 season, showing Kiffin's recruiting skills are as good as any, with much less NIL money than other powerhouses.
For that reason, Ole Miss is still in the race for Keys, with 247Sports Inside the Rebels David Johnson reporting that Rebels coaches will be in Hattiesburg, Miss, to speak with the five-star talent. I'm sure Keys will organize a visit over the summer and possibly an official visit.
The big moments for Cunningham's U-turn were after attending game days in Oxford during the 2024 season, which helped with a few commitments. It may not be one of the most followed programs, but the setting is one of the greatest, which could also help with Keys—on top of that, playing for a home state team like NFL Super Bowl winner AJ Brown.
This one is going to the wire, with Ole Miss needing first to challenge LSU, then fight off other top programs.