FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — When Razorback safety Jalen Catalon left the Ole Miss game last season with a torn labrum, the lack of his presence was felt.
Catalon is ball-hawking safety who has a very bright football mind, and when he is on the field, the defense takes a step up. Not having him for seven games was a big loss for the Hogs last season.
Head coach Sam Pittman said he is ready to get his star safety back on the field this Saturday against Cincinnati.
"I'm excited for him," Pittman said. "That's hard on the guy that's played a lot of ball and he's sitting out there while we're having one of our better — well, our best year since he's been here — and he wasn't an on-the-field participant in seven of the games. I'm sure that's very, very hard for him."
Right out of the gate last season, Catalon was playing at a very high level. He recorded 11 tackles, a tackle for loss and a career-high two interceptions in the season opener against Rice. His 46 tackles in six games ended up being eighth on the team.
Missing the second half of the season was not easy feat for Catalon. Pittman said he thinks the Mansfield, Texas, native will be ready to go come Saturday.
"So I think anytime you lose something, it even becomes more special when you get it back or you have a chance to earn it back or whatever may be the case," Pittman said. "Think he's really excited to play. He's played extremely well, and we'll see what happens."
Catalon earned the honor of being a captain for the Hogs for the second season in a row. His leadership has gone to the next level and this year he will be looking to take his game to the next level and work into being a high-round NFL Draft pick.
After Catalon's redshirt freshman campaign in 2020, he earned AP First Team All-SEC and FWAA Freshman All-American honors for his 99 tackles, three interceptions and two forced fumbles. This season, he can build on that if he stays healthy.
“I always tell myself you don’t really know how much you love something until it’s gone,” Catalon said on an episode of the HogPod. “When it was gone during that time, that 2021 season, it was tough for me. But I want to be presentable to my guys, be the best I can to be a leader. They named me as captain, so I’ve got to act like a captain.”
Football is back, and so is Catalon with the Hogs. Things won't be easy to start as No. 23 Cincinnati will enter Reynolds Razorback Stadium in front of a hostile Arkansas crowd.
"I love it, because the attention’s going to be on us and everybody’s going to be watching us," Catalon said. "There’s going to be a sold-out crowd and there’s going to be millions of people watching from their home. It doesn’t get any better than that."
The Bearcats and Razorbacks will get things going at 2:30 p.m. CT in Fayetteville. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
HawgBeat's 10 Most Important Players for Arkansas in 2022-23:
No. 10 - Drew Sanders
No. 9 - Isaiah Nichols
No. 8 - Cam Little
No. 7 - Ricky Stromberg
No. 6 - Dominique Johnson/Rocket Sanders
No. 5 - Left Tackle
No. 4 - Bumper Pool
No. 3 - Jadon Haselwood
No. 2 - Jalen Catalon
