The emotional pendulum that has accompanied college football’s season-ending awards this week swung back in a joyous direction for the Tennessee Volunteers on Thursday night when junior Jalin Hyatt received the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver.
Hyatt, the first Biletnikoff winner in Tennessee’s storied history, amassed 67 catches for 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns on the nation’s most productive offense. His 15 scoring receptions are tied for the most nationally, and his 18.9 yards per catch topped every other player with at least 60 receptions.
The 6-foot, 180-pounder from Irmo, South Carolina, won the award over Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. and Iowa State’s Xavier Hutchinson.
“I’m just grateful and blessed to be in this position and for being with my family and seeing the team behind me as well,” Hyatt said on a Zoom call from Knoxville. “I was nervous. Marvin Harrison is a great receiver, and we all know that.
“As a receiver, this is what you dream of, and it’s where you put your goals.”