NFL Superstar Gives Major Props to Former Tennessee Volunteer Jalin Hyatt

NFL star defensive back Sauce Gardner gave major props to former Tennessee Volunteer wide receiver Jalin Hyatt.

East Rutherford, NJ -- June 11, 2024 -- Wide receiver, Jalin Hyatt at the NY Giants Mandatory Minicamp at their practice facility in East Rutherford, NJ. / Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

NFL star defensive back Sauce Gardner gave major props to former Tennessee Volunteer wide receiver Sauce Gardner.

Former Tennessee Volunteer Jalin Hyatt is heading into his secondary year in the NFL after posting a very impressive college career. As a rookie, Hyatt finished with 23 receptions for 378 yards and zero touchdowns. He is looking to make an improvement upon those numbers this season, and based on what a current NFL superstar had to say about Hyatt, that looks to be in store for the former Volunteer.

Sauce Gardner, a defensive back for the New York Jets, played against Hyatt and the Giants last season. The two teams met up recently again on the football field for a joint practice, and Gardner said he saw a lot of improvement in Hyatt's game since the last time the two faced off.

"Jalin Hyatt, he did a great job today," said Gardner. "I went up against Jalin Hyatt last year...and I can see he's improved a lot this year from last year. I could tell he's more comfortable with his speed. He's able to run more routes on the route tree, that's one thing that surprised me today." 

The New York Giants selected Hyatt in the third round in the 2023 NFL draft. In his final season with the Volunteers, Hyatt exploded onto the college scene as he posted 67 reecptions, 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns. He played a major role in helping turn Tennessee's offense into the explosive force it was back in 2022 and that's the type of offense Tennessee is looking to have this season under quarterback Nico Iamaleava and head coach Josh Heupel.

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