Tennessee is continuing to roll through the schedule here in the spring. The Vols are over halfway done with their spring camp schedule and wrapped up practice on Thursday morning before heading back out on Friday.
After practicing on Thursday, the wide receiver’s room was the spotlight of the press conference. Jalin Hyatt, Ramel Keyton, and new receiving coach Kelsey Pope all had a chance to talk to the media about what camp has been like so far.
For junior wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, the off-season has been about cutting out bad habits that may have formed last year. Now, in the middle of spring camp, Hyatt is more determined than he’s ever been.
“I had to look back last season on what I did wrong,” Hyatt said on Thursday. “That was the biggest thing I had to do. I had to meet with Coach Kelsey Pope and Coach Kodi Burns, when he was here, and just try to change everything that I did last season, because obviously, it didn’t work. So, we got back to the planning board. I tried to stay consistent in coming in here 24/7, you know getting on jugs, film, just things like that to better myself and better this team.”
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Pope was an assistant receiving coach on Tennessee’s staff last year, so he’s very familiar with the majority of the room including Hyatt.
“Jalin Hyatt has done a great job of changing his body, for one,” Pope said. “He’s about 180 [pounds] right now. He is doing a great job of embracing physicality. I think he kind of saw himself in high school and at younger years as a speed guy. We talked, even before I got the role, about him embracing physicality and bringing that part of his game out. He’s done a great job of embracing that. I think mentally, off the field he’s taken a huge jump. He’s in the building 24 hours. A lot of times I’m leaving late at night and he’s either pulling off or about to walk out of the building as well. He’s done a great job of buying in and it’s consistent. Right? Regardless of what result he’s getting at practice week-to-week. Whether he’s having a great day or if he’s having an average day, he’s in the building, he’s staying consistent. I think he truly understands the process right now. I like where he is.”
Below are Tennessee’s practice highlights from Thursday morning in Knoxville.
