5-star Tennessee football freshman has already gained 12 pounds in Knoxville

There's just something special about spring football returning for the Tennessee Vols and Josh Heupel. With things starting, we're getting a first look at newcomers, including some big-name freshmen. While people are focused on Faizon Brandon, don't forget about Tristen Keys.

Tennessee, Josh Heupel lock in visit with legacy LB the Vols can't let get away

The wideout was once Baton Rouge-bound to play for LSU, but he flipped to Tennessee and signed with the Vols in December. He enrolled early and now he's making a splash in town. And if you look closely, you can probably tell he's looking a bit bigger too. That's because ever since he made the move to town, Keys has put on 12 pounds of muscle. Yeah, this is huge:

5-star Tennessee freshman Tristen Keys is adding plenty of size already

Keep in mind that Keys just made the move to campus earlier this winter. He's clearly hit the ground running in the weight room and the nutritional program he's following now that he's at the college level is making a tremendous difference.

He weighed around 183 pounds when he left home to start this next chapter of his football career. Now that he's at 195 and flirting with 200 pounds, it's fantastic news for Heupel and whoever wins the starting quarterback job - Keys is expected to make an immediate impact for this team.

Coming out of high school, Keys was ranked five stars and the No. 1 wide receiver in the country according to 247Sports. Basically every powerhouse in the country wanted him, but Keys' official visit ended up helping him realize he wanted to play for the Vols.

So, what can we expect from the youngster in his first season with Tennessee? Obviously, we don't want to put too high of expectations on him, but the hype is real. Come this fall, we'll find out who will be QB1, as Heupel said a decision is not expected this spring.

Brandon, George MacIntyre and Ryan Staub are all battling out, but it feels like things are pretty wide open there. Regardless, Keys knows his number is going to be called early and often once the season arrives. The fact that he's adding so much size this quickly for Tennessee is pretty dang exciting news too if you ask us.