Tennessee receiver Jalin Hyatt knew exactly who he wanted to celebrate with after his second touchdown of the game in a 63-6 romp over Akron on Saturday.
The junior made a beeline to receivers coach Kelsey Pope to share the moment with the person who helped him through a rough year in 2021. Hyatt, who caught five passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns against the Zips, has emerged as one of the top playmakers in the SEC. He didn’t forget who helped him along the way.
“I went straight to Pope because he was there last year when I was struggling, when I felt like things weren’t going right for me last year and when he was here as an analyst here (last season), he was always there trying to help me, to get my confidence back, help me as far as with my game,” Hyatt said. “I’m really grateful for that guy. I love Coach Pope. I think he’s the best receiver coach in the country.
“Anybody, as far as recruits, if you want to come to a program where you’ll get the ball, spread it out, this is the place for you. Coach Pope, he did a lot for me…All the work that he has done for me is starting to pay off. I’m just grateful for him.”
Hyatt’s 89 receiving yards per game is second in the SEC. He is also second in the SEC with 267 yards receiving. That’s quite a jump from being disgruntled this time last year. However, Hyatt isn’t content. The South Carolina native is still pushing for the Vols to get better.
“We took some steps to improve, but there’s always something you can improve on,” Hyatt said. “We just have to continue to play our game, play our Tennessee game, continue doing what we can do on offense and let everything play out…Just be ready for Florida. That’s out mindset now and that’s our mentality.”
That mentality has served Hyatt well.
