The addition of Tee Martin to Tennessee’s coaching staff as wide receivers coach is already paying off on the recruiting trail.
On Saturday afternoon, four-star wide receiver Jalin Hyatt took to Twitter to announce his commitment to the Vols. Martin is his primary recruiter for Tennessee, and Hyatt gives UT their first commitment from a true wide receiver in the 2020 class.
COMMITTED!! pic.twitter.com/Zhfp5y8Zmo
— Jalin Hyatt (@jalinhyatt) July 27, 2019
According to the 247Sports rankings, Hyatt is the No. 271 overall prospect, No. 50 wide receiver, and No. 5 prospect in the state of South Carolina. He’s a three-star on their composite rankings as of now.
Hyatt was committed to Virginia Tech at one point, announcing his commitment to the Hokies on February 2nd. But he decommitted from Virginia Tech on June 30th, a little over a week after taking an unofficial visit to Tennessee.
The 6-foot, 162-pound receiver was again on UT’s campus on Saturday, and he decided to go ahead and pull the trigger on his announcement.
Hyatt plays for Dutch Fork High School in Irmo, South Carolina. That’s the same high school current Vol cornerback Bryce Thompson played at, and the two were teammates during the 2017 season, Thompson’s senior year.
The speedy wide receiver was already considered a solid prospect coming out of his junior campaign, but his performance at camps really turned heads. Hyatt was timed running a 4.31-second 40-yard dash at a regional camp for Nike’s The Opening back in April, and he measured a nearly 35-inch vertical leap.
That speed and explosiveness shows up on his film, too.
Hyatt is a very good route runner, especially for a high school junior. He can run fade routes, post routes, digs, comeback routes, and he’s dangerous in the red zone in the corner of the end zone. He knows how to make catches in traffic and shows good body control. Hyatt also has very good speed and uses that to his advantage a lot. He has game-changing speed from the receiver position. He’s a little thin and will need to put on weight, but his speed and solid football IQ make him stand out.
Not only does Hyatt stand out on film, but his numbers are also very impressive. In 13 games as a junior, Hyatt caught 71 passes for 1,316 yards and 21 touchdowns according to MaxPreps. In his last two seasons with Dutch Fork, Hyatt has 114 receptions for 2,263 yards and 31 scores.
Hyatt’s commitment gives Tennessee 13 known commitments in their 2020 class. He’s the first true wide receiver to commit to the Vols, though three-star athlete Jimmy Calloway is expected to start out at wideout in college, and in-state athlete Darion Williamson could play there as well.
