KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — It's official: Jalin Hyatt is declaring for the 2023 NFL Draft.
Hyatt will not be playing in the Orange Bowl after his decision Wednesday. He made the announcement on Instagram.
"Thank you to Vol Nation. Your loyalty and passion -- even during our hardships -- never wavered. There is nothing like a Saturday in Neyland and that's because of you. I am grateful for the interactions we have had," he said. "Thank you and Go Vols."
Hyatt posted a record-breaking season for Tennessee in 2022. He led the SEC in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
In the postseason, Hyatt was the first-ever Tennessee player to win the Biletnikoff Award. He also earned eight First Team All-America acclamations in the past week from the Walter Camp Football Foundation, Associated Press, ESPN, and others.
Hyatt recently signed the first major hotel brand NIL deal. As a part of the deal, World of Hyatt will provide gift cards to help each of Hyatt's teammates' families with hotel rooms for the Orange Bowl.
For the season, Hyatt garnered 67 catches for 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns. He set a single-game record for touchdown receptions with five against then-No. 3 Alabama and the 15 total receiving scores are a single-season program record, UT Athletics said.
His game against the Crimson Tide saw the speedy receiver rack up 207 yards, the sixth most in a game in school history, on just six catches, an average of 34.5 yards per reception, said UT Athletics.
The junior from Irmo, South Carolina, dazzled all year long, finishing the year with five games where he recorded over 100 yards receiving. Similarly, he logged five games with multiple touchdown receptions and had a four-game stretch from LSU to Kentucky where he racked up 11 touchdown scores, according to UT Athletics.
At the close of the regular season, Hyatt ranks second in school history in single-season yards, just 31 behind Robert Meachem's 1,298-mark set in 2007, said UT Athletics.