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Tennessee football: Ranking Vols’ top five juniors of 2022

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee defensive lineman Omari Thomas (21) exits the field after Tennessee's 41-17 loss to Georgia at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021.Kns Tennessee Georgia Football
Tennessee defensive lineman Omari Thomas (21) exits the field after Tennessee's 41-17 loss to Georgia at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021.Kns Tennessee Georgia Football /
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Typically, high-profile juniors on a team are returning starters or players destined to break out. It tends to be a bit different when they are playing for a second-year head coach, but when it comes to Tennessee football entering 2022, the principle actually mostly applies. The Vols have a few returning starters at junior.

As we get set to rank this class of players on Rocky Top, will include all juniors, whether it be true juniors or redshirt juniors. Given the COVID eligibility ruling that kept 2020 from counting against players, that means some could be fifth-year juniors on this list. All are valuable.

This is the first list we’ve done ranking members of a class in which the majority of players are expected to be major contributors. In fact, in this case, all the players are expected to be major contributors. Who are going to be the biggest ones, thought? Let’s break that down here with our top five Tennessee football juniors for 2022.

These are the Tennessee football Volunteers juniors most likely to make an impact in Josh Heupel’s second season.

Nov 6, 2021; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Jalin Hyatt (11) reacts after he is called out of bounds on his run into the end zone during the second quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 6, 2021; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Jalin Hyatt (11) reacts after he is called out of bounds on his run into the end zone during the second quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports /

Jalin Hyatt. Wide receiver. 5. player. 839. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 6'0 180 lbs

Although he’s not a returning starter, Jalin Hyatt is expected to fill the void left by Velus Jones Jr. immediately for Tennessee football.

He’s a junior with three years of eligibility left, but Jalin Hyatt is a year behind he was expected to break out. Hyatt committed to the Vols as a four-star across the board in 2020 and immediately showed promise as a reserve, catching 20 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns. All expectations were there for him to break out in 2021.

However, Velus Jones Jr. maintained his spot as the lead slot receiver, and Hyatt didn’t win one of the wideout roles. As a result, he had 21 catches for 226 yards and two touchdowns. This year, though, with Jones gone, the slot role should be his, so he should burst onto the scene.

No returning non-starter from last year has generated more coverage for Tennessee football than Hyatt. As a result, he’s got to be considered one of the top juniors on here. New receivers coach Kelsey Pope works more with wideouts, but Hyatt still can’t be ignored. He should complement Cedric Tillman perfectly.

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