How Jalin Hyatt is impacting recruiting for the Tennessee Vols
Former Tennessee Vols wide receiver Jalin Hyatt is having a positive impact on recruiting for UT and he's not even having to lift a finger to do it. The Vols are in the mix for numerous top wide receiver recruits and Hyatt's success in 2022 at Tennessee is a big reason why that's the case. […]
Former Tennessee Vols wide receiver Jalin Hyatt is having a positive impact on recruiting for UT and he's not even having to lift a finger to do it.
The Vols are in the mix for numerous top wide receiver recruits and Hyatt's success in 2022 at Tennessee is a big reason why that's the case.
Hyatt, who won the Biletnikoff Award as a junior in 2022 before leaving UT for the NFL, showed recruits across the nation last season that Tennessee's coaching staff can help wide receivers reach their true potential.
The South Carolina native was an afterthought on the national stage after catching just 41 passes during his first two seasons at Tennessee (respectable, but hardly "superstar level").
Tennessee's coaches helped Hyatt take his game to another level in 2022. Ultimately, Hyatt is the one who put in the work and made the plays on the field — he deserves most of the credit for his big season — but UT's coaches clearly put him in the right situations.
Because of Hyatt's success, plenty of wide receiver recruits that weren't previously interested in the Vols are now checking Tennessee out.
That includes 2025 four-star wide receiver Isaiah Mozee.
Mozee, 5-foot-11/175 lbs from Lees Summit, MO, is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 10 wide receiver in the 2025 recruiting class and the No. 2 player in the state of Missouri. He's also rated as the No. 73 overall player in the nation (which means he's not that far from five-star status).
Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Tennessee are reportedly Mozee's top schools.
The Vols are on the list in large part because of Hyatt.
"Hyatt the year before nobody knew who he was but after this year with what they did with him, I like the new offense there,” said Mozee to Rivals.com recently.
Mozee told 247Sports that "coaching and development" are the biggest factors in his recruitment. That certainly bodes well for the Vols considering the way Tennessee has developed wide receivers under Josh Heupel the last two seasons.
The "Hyatt effect" could pay dividends for the Vols for years to come. Of course, it's important that recruits understand that simply enrolling at Tennessee isn't going to lead to success. Hyatt put in the work — he famously stayed late at practices after his historic five touchdown game against Alabama — and that's ultimately why he won the Biletnikoff Award in 2022.
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