2026 WR Tristen Keys Talks Notre Dame Offer
Tristen Keys had been hoping to receive the news he did when the 2026 Mississippi receiver called Notre Dame and got on the phone with Irish receivers coach Mike Brown last Wednesday.
“We were chatting it up and he told me 'Congratulations,' and gave me the offer,” the 6-foot-3, 186-pounder told Irish Sports Daily. “I was excited. Blessed.
“I had been waiting on it for a long time. Of course my guy, Deuce (Knight) is committed. He's a great quarterback, he's a freak. So, I was blessed to be given that opportunity to play with a quarterback like that.”
The Hattiesburg High School standout and Knight are tight.
“I know him very well,” Keys said of Knight. “That's like my brother. I play a lot of 7-on-7 with him. We talk daily on the phone.”
Knight and Keys spoke shortly after Keys got the news of his offer.
“He was just congratulating me and trying to get me there,” Keys said of Knight. “He told me it's very big out there, great fan base, great environment, coaches are great; a lot of positives.”
Keys also has offers from schools like Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Auburn, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida State, Miami, Tennessee, LSU, Texas A&M and Michigan among several others.
His initial impressions of Brown were positive.
“He's very straightforward,” Keys said of the Irish receivers coach. “He understands what he wants. He knows what he wants. For a long time they were a running team. They're looking to put a ball in the air a lot. He was giving me that opportunity and wants me to be one of those players to get thrown the ball.”
Keys has made recent visits to Auburn and Mississippi State and said he’s hoping to get to South Bend soon.
“I'm supposed to be planning on going up there sometime,” he said. “I'm not sure yet, but I will be getting up there for sure. I might go up there with Deuce. I just haven't quite figured it out yet.”
He’s hoping to get a good look at Notre Dame when he does get there.
“Just the environment, how the coaches move, how they interact,” he said of what he’ll be looking to see. “The fan base. Of course, having a great fan base behind you is always good. Upcoming quarterbacks and the coaching; the receivers and the ball in air. I love an offense that gets the ball in the air.”
He also plans to be at Tennessee, Texas A&M, LSU and Ole Miss this season.
He knows what will be important to him when choosing a college, including the opinion of his mother.
“Just finding that second home, getting comfortable with the teammates, the coaches and just the environment,” he said.
“Making sure the family is comfortable with me being there because Ma Dukes, she's a real one. She'll point out what she likes and what she don't like, just having that second home, being comfortable in the environment.”
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