Tennessee picked up a bigtime commitment at its end of July pool party recruiting event on Saturday when WR Jalin Hyatt pledged to the Vols. The former Virginia Tech commitment – a high school teammate and very close friend of current Vol stud CB Bryce Thompson – is the first pure WR commitment of the class for Tennessee, pairing with ATHs and potential WR commitments Darion Williamson and Jimmy Calloway.
Hyatt brings a number of things to the table that Coach Jeremy Pruitt covets in a prospect. For one, he’s a certified winner, coming off his third straight state title at Dutch Fork HS in South Carolina’s 5A classification, and is regarded as a leader in that program. Secondly, he’s a track athlete with blazing speed, something Pruitt is well known for targeting. In just the third track meet of his career this past March Hyatt set a new Dutch Fork record in the 200 meter dash, recording a Top 10 national laser-timed 21.33. But that speed isn’t simply limited to the track or empty calorie measurables – Hyatt’s functional athleticism is on full display both in his high school tape as well as this spring as showed out at multiple events. At The Opening in Charlotte he not only ran a 4.31 40 and won the camp’s fastest man contest but also shined in the skills portion and earned himself a 4-star rating by 247 Sports. He’s known for his great hands and shows impressive route running ability – especially or a guy who could do nothing but be a vertical threat and still be a real weapon – as well as the ability to high point the ball. At over 6’0 and with a wiry frame, Hyatt is a true WR who just happens to have elite speed and in Tennessee’s Strength & Conditioning program has the kind of size/speed/ability combo as a rising high school senior to project as a potentially elite SEC WR.
Hyatt also represents a recruiting win over the likes of not just Virginia Tech but also Michigan, Oregon, and Miami among others. At the same time, the Vols now have two bigtime prospects from a powerhouse program in Will Muschamp’s backyard, which is always a positive. Hyatt gives Tee Martin and Jim Chaney a true blazer in the class around which they can build the 2020 WR corps as they figure out where Williamson and Calloway fit and also continue to chase guys like Rakim Jarrett, Thaiu Jones-Bell, and a handful of other targets.
Tennessee now has 13 commitments in the 2020 class and, particularly with how its positioned itself with a good number of highly recruited and rated instate prospects, has a chance to sign a Top 10 class come December and February.