Jalin Hyatt Describes Reasoning Behind Leaving Tennessee for the NFL
Jalin Hyatt, a wide receiver for the New York Giants, had an incredible junior season at the University of Tennessee. After registering 1,267 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns in an 11-win season for the Vols, he became the school’s first Biletnikoff Award winner. Hyatt was chosen by the Giants in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft at pick No. 73.
Although Hyatt’s decision to declare for the NFL Draft wasn’t shocking, he did have one more season of NCAA eligibility if he had wanted to use it. He went into further detail about his reasons for leaving Tennessee, all of which had to do with receiving zero pay.
“The finances were another issue we needed to discuss when I was speaking with the University of Tennessee about returning. What figures are we looking at, you know? How might it appear? And the thing was, it wasn’t like they couldn’t give me the number I desired.
It has to do with their desire to hold out. ‘Oh, you can come back and then let’s deal with the numbers,’ was what they wanted to say. Like, no, that’s not how the system is meant to operate. When you’re telling me, “Okay, you had to come back before we can even determine to see what numbers we can talk about,” how can I then compare that to the league?” Hyatt continued by saying that he is grateful for all that the university has done for him. In his debut campaign with the Giants, he recorded 23 receptions for 373 yards.
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