Tennessee football receiver TK Keys limited at first preseason practice

TK Keys is plenty motivated to make an immediate impact for Tennessee football this season, but he wasn’t quite at full speed on the first day of preseason practice.

Keys, a five-star freshman wide receiver, was limited on Aug. 5. In the portion of practice visible to media, he went through footwork drills but didn’t participate when receivers and defensive backs were contesting deep passes a few minutes later.

Coach Josh Heupel indicated it was a precautionary measure.

“There were a couple things we just want to manage here on day one, day two, but he’s ready to go,” he said.

Keys said that he’s working through a soft tissue matter unrelated to the nagging knee injury that hampered him in the spring. He admitted there was some initial frustration not being at 100%, but the priority is to make sure he doesn’t aggravate anything that could affect his status for the season opener against Furman on Sept. 5.

“We’re going through a little process right now, but I should be back this week,” Keys said. “So we’re going to hit the road running.”
Tennessee‘s third wide receiver

Competition is stiff for Keys as he works to carve out his role in a talented receiver room.

Braylon Staley was the 2025 SEC Freshman of the Year, totaling 837 yards and six touchdowns. He had 68 receptions last season, which leads all returning receivers in the conference. Mike Matthews, a former five-star recruit in 2024 class, had 813 receiving yards last year and is among the league’s top downfield threats.

That leaves Keys in competition for the third wide receiver spot. Among his competitors are Travis Smith and Radarious Jackson, both four-star recruits in the 2025 class.

Keys said that his work with receivers coach Kelsey Pope has been focused on moving more efficiently. He stayed after practice to hone those skills and spent the summer busy on the JUGS machine, sometimes even catching thousands of balls per day.

“I feel like me coming in and just listening, being that sponge, that’s going to make me a better person and a better player,” Keys said.

Competition at the receiver position is in the shadow of the quarterback competition between redshirt freshman George MacIntyre and freshman Faizon Brandon as the Vols aim to repeat the success of last year’s passing attack that ranked No. 6 in the nation.

Keys, from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, was the No. 1 ranked wide receiver in the 2026 class by 247Sports Composite. He flipped his commitment from LSU to Tennessee in August 2025.

According to the 247Sports Composite all-time recruits list, Keys is the highest rated wide receiver recruit at Tennessee in the 2000s. He signed an NIL deal with Adidas, which has a 10-year licensing deal with UT that started this summer.

With that comes the expectation that Keys will be an immediate contributor.

Emmett Siegel covers Tennessee baseball for Knox News. Email: emmett.siegel@knoxnews.com; X: @EmmettSiegel_

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football receiver TK Keys limited at first preseason practice