As the start of the Summer arrives one of the biggest recruiting periods of the year begins as official visits get underway. One of the biggest storylines in a busy recruiting period is where the Nation's top ranked Wide Receiver Tristen Keys will end up playing College Football. Keys is currently committed to LSU after announcing his decision this Spring but, this recruitment may not be over.
This past weekend, Tristen Keys took an official visit to Miami which was one of the presumed front runners before he committed. On deck for Keys are official visits to Alabama, Auburn, Texas A&M, Tennessee, and LSU which could indicate this recruitment still could take some turns.
On Wednesday, Keys' recruitment may have taken an interesting turn as he signed an NIL deal with Adidas.
NEW: LSU 5-star WR commit Tristen Keys has inked an NIL deal with Adidas🔥
— On3 NIL (@On3NIL) June 4, 2025
Keys has a $536,000 On3 NIL Valuation.https://t.co/NtdMEkZNK3 pic.twitter.com/2MFX0ScOzX
Keys picking to sign an NIL deal with Adidas is interesting for several reasons but, mainly the fact that LSU is a Nike school. This could become an interesting development as Keys wouldn't be able to wear Adidas on the field at LSU which brings about questions. The same situation just unfolded with Cooper Flagg who was signed with New Balance but, couldn't wear their gear on the court.
On the other hand, Keys’ situation differs from Flagg’s as everyone knew Cooper Flagg was a one and done while Tristen Keys will spend at least 3 years in College Football. New Balance knew they were only waiting one year and getting an early jump on landing Cooper Flagg.
As Keys’ now is signed with Adidas is it possible that he ends up signing with an Adidas school? Among the teams he’ll visit, Adidas is the partner of Miami, Texas A&M, and Tennessee is rumored to be considering returning to Adidas once its Nike contract expires.
In the end, the only parties that know the ins and outs of this deal are Tristen Keys and his team as well as Adidas. Keys could certainly still pick and sign with a Nike school but, Adidas would most likely prefer their latest signee is in their apparel.