Every time Tennessee gets a commitment in either football or men’s basketball, we will write up an impact report looking at what that recruit does well, what we feel he needs to improve in his game, and what his projected impact with the Vols could be over the next few years.
Latest Commit: Jalin Hyatt, WR
Height/Weight: 6-foot, 172 pounds
School: Dutch Fork (South Carolina)
Home Town: Irmo, SC
Rankings
247Sports Composite: No. 446 overall, No. 75 WR
247Sports: No. 271 overall, No. 50 WR
Rivals: 5.6 rating, No. 89 WR
Notable Offers: Miami, Michigan, Penn State, Virginia Tech
What we like:
Speed. Jalin Hyatt is one of the fastest receivers in the 2020 class, and it shows up not only in camps, but on film, too. He was laser-timed running a 4.31-second 40-yard dash back in April, and that’s legit. But he’s much more than that. To me, what stands out most about Hyatt on his film isn’t even his speed; his ability to run multiple routes and catch jump balls are what really caught my eye. Hyatt possesses a very solid football IQ, and he already has some good footwork. He has several routes in his tree that you can tell he’s comfortable running, and that makes him extremely dangerous.
Hyatt has an excellent catch radius. He has strong hands and makes some very impressive catches. He doesn’t just blaze by defenders and make easy catches; on several of his highlights, he is making contested grabs with defensive backs all over him or right in the vicinity of the pass. Hyatt can stretch the field, and he already has the knowledge of how to run out routes, digs, slants, fades, and post routes. He’s also dangerous in the red zone, which isn’t something you’d necessarily expect from a 6-foot wide receiver.
Places to improve:
One of the biggest areas Hyatt has to eventually improve is his weight and strength. He’s pretty skinny, and while that helps with his speed, he can add a dozen or more pounds and probably still keep his speed and explosiveness. Other than that, there’s not a lot I can tell from his film that needs improvement immediately. Hyatt could work on improving his wiggle a little more, but that would be more pertinent if he were a running back. He’ll need to polish up his routes and footwork, but he already has a solid foundation there. He has a ton of skills to like at wide receiver, and it’s more than just his speed.
Analysis:
Tennessee needs speed at wide receiver, and Hyatt certainly gives them that. But he’s so much more than a one-trick pony in that regard. Hyatt brings a lot to the table for UT’s future wide receiver room, and there’s a very good chance he makes an impact immediately as a true freshman. He’ll have competition with some of the wideouts Tennessee returns in 2020 and with whoever else the Vols will bring in with their 2020 recruiting class, but I expect he’ll be a good part of the offense even in his first year as long as he puts on some weight. It’ll help if he can be an early enrollee, and right now it’s tracking like he will.
