FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — After entering the 2021-22 season as one of the highest rated safeties in the SEC, Jalen Catalon was sidelined for the final seven games of the season with a torn labrum.
During the Ole Miss game in Week 6, Catalon went up to contest a pass and when he landed, things went south.
“I tried to clasp (the ball) and I hit my left hand with it and then it fell out,” Catalon said on Monday’s edition of The Hog Pod. “My hand hit the ground, and at that point it was a lot of frustration. I think that’s the moment I realized I’m just not able to play how I want to. That one was definitely on me. I look back — I want to have that back for sure.”
Prior to the injury, Catalon had 46 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, six pass deflections and two interceptions.
Right out of the gate, he was the star of the Arkansas defense, recording two interceptions, 11 tackles and a tackle for loss against Rice in Week 1.
Catalon did not slow up as he averaged seven tackles per game and locked down opposing offenses in the defensive backfield over the next five games.
After the injury against Ole Miss, Catalon underwent season-ending surgery to repair his torn labrum.
"He had some slight tears in his labrum in the front and the back,” Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman said on October 18. “Surgery went well. He’s already been in the facility and went to Wal-Mart to get his meds. So he’s doing well."
The redshirt sophomore was on pace to set himself up nicely as a first round draft pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. After sitting out the second half of the season, Catalon decided to forgo the draft and return for his fourth year in Fayetteville.
The recovery took a while, but he was able to get back on the field during the spring. Known as a hard-hitter, Catalon was finally able to test the waters of contact.
“In the spring there was some times when I went thudding,” Catalon said. “It felt great. It’s not like, ‘Oh this is my first time,’ It actually felt solid. Throughout the spring it was an emotional moment for me when I got back on the field for the first time. Some people just looked at it as a spring practice, but for me I looked at it as this is an opportunity.”
Catalon might not have had the same perspective if he hadn’t sat out the second half of last season. He said not being able to play football made him realize how much he truly loves the sport.
“I always tell myself you don’t really know how much you love something until it’s gone,” Catalon said. “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.”
The honor of being a captain was felt most when, despite not playing, he was brought up on the stage after Arkansas’ Outback Bowl win.
“At that moment it was really like I’ve got a brotherhood here,” Catalon said. “Through that season it was tough times. It was me just wondering if I belonged here or if the team still looked at me the same even though I wasn’t out there making plays.”
Whether he belongs or not is not a question among former Razorback players. Legendary safeties Steve Atwater, Kenoy Kennedy and Ken Hamlin have all had conversations with Catalon about how they enjoy watching him play.
To have former Hogs watch him is one thing, but to have them be fans and think he can leave a legacy like they did is humbling, Catalon said.
“Just to know these people that came here before and did these things and now I’m here trying to do the same thing, it’s definitely eye opening,” Catalon said. “It’s definitely motivation for me to go out and perform my best and try to put my name here.”
