Making the Case: Which Freshman WR Can Make the Biggest Impact for Tennessee this Fall?

A look at Tennessee's 2020 WR room

The 2020 season will see the Tennessee Volunteers needing to fill some key roster spots if they hope to be successful. The Vols ended the 2019 season on a six-game winning streak, culminating with a come from behind win over Indiana in the Gator Bowl. Momentum was important for the Vols on the field in 2019, and that carried over to the recruiting trail. The Vols are trending in the right direction because they showed success on the field, but they also landed a Top Ten recruiting class in the nation with their 2020 signing class. Jeremy Pruitt and his staff will need this class to live up to their ranking in order to see the Vols have success over the long term, however, some of the new arrivals will be called on immediately to step in and play.

This series will see our staff members looking at several positions of need on the Tennessee roster that could be filled by an incoming freshman. The staff will make a case for which freshman they feel can rise to fill the role in question. Today's piece looks at the third wide receiver spot.

Tennessee receivers are going to have some seriously big shoes to fill, as Jauan Jennings and Marquez Callaway are both headed to the NFL ranks. That leaves Tennessee to replace an incredible amount of production, experience, and leadership not only in the wide receiver room but in the locker room as a whole. Josh Palmer is a rising senior that has grown in his time at Tennessee. Palmer has become respected as a big-play receiver with a knack for making spectacular grabs for huge gains. He seems to be transitioning into the role of new, top receiver smoothly. The second wide receiver spot looks to see rising redshirt junior DeAngelo Gibbs trending up. Gibbs sat out the 2019 season and took a redshirt after the former five-star prospect transferred to Knoxville from Georgia. Rising sophomore Ramel Keyton also looks to figure prominently into the discussion for the number two and three receiver spots. Still, the Vols had highlighted wide receiver as a position of need in the 2020 class, ultimately signing five players that look to be joining the receiving corps at Wide Receiver U.

Brandon: The Vols landed multiple very talented wide receivers in their 2020 signing class. They pulled in guys that fit the mold for any type of receiver a coach could want, and Vol fans should be excited about just how good this group can be over the course of their careers in Knoxville. However, in making a case for an early starter, one stands out above the rest. Jalin Hyatt is a four-time South Carolina state champion joining the Vols from Dutch Fork. Hyatt brings absolutely blistering speed to the Tennessee receiving corps, the kind of speed you can't teach and that requires safety help over the top on every play. Elite SEC corners will struggle with the kind of speed that Hyatt brings to the table, but he is far more than just fast. Hyatt is one of the most productive receivers in the history of South Carolina high school football, holding the record for career touchdown receptions with fifty, all while rarely playing in the second half of games. Hyatt has spectacular hands and runs excellent routes, some of the most advanced, and well-polished of any receiver in the 2019 class across the country. Hyatt looked like an immediate plug-and-play receiver when he committed to the Vols before his senior year, and a brilliant final high school campaign only solidified it. Hyatt coming out of the slot, even as a true freshman, is going to be a nightmare for corners and defensive coordinators to account for.

Matt: This is an easy one for me, and most anybody out there. Jalin Hyatt is the most likely freshman receiver to impact for the Vols this season, and not just because of his blistering speed. He is a polished route-runner with nice hands, and he has yet to have a chance to show off his full skill-set. I like where Hyatt is from an IQ standpoint, and I believe he is the guy to most likely step in and play right away as a freshman. Tennessee is going to get creative with him, and he will be a threat this fall. Malachi Wideman is a freakish athlete with room to grow, but he is not as polished as Hyatt to this point. The ceilings are close to the same, but the readiness of Hyatt wins out in this make a case.