Razorback Roster Rundown: No.1 Jalen Catalon

This article is part of a series previewing the Arkansas Razorbacks' 2020 football roster.

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Redshirt safety Jalen Catalon was one of many newcomers in 2019 expected to get heavy playing time but a nagging shoulder injury prevented the coaches from playing him more. Catalon went in for two kneel down snaps at Ole Miss, two defensive snaps against San Jose State and one kickoff coverage snap at Kentucky.

Left with only one game to play if he was going to maintain his redshirt, Catalon played a significant number of snaps against Western Kentucky. He played well in that game, making six tackles to go along with a forced fumble and pass breakup in 29 snaps. That earned him a team-high 85.9 grade from Pro Football Focus.

After the WKU game, Catalon had surgery for a partially torn labrum. He's now fully recovered and ready to play again in 2020. Weighing 188 coming out of high school, Catalon came out of winter conditioning with new strength coach Jamil Walker at 198 pounds.

Nobody put higher expectations on Jalen Catalon than Chad Morris when he called the Texas native a top five prospect he'd ever seen coming out of high school. Cleared of all injuries, Catalon is expected to start at safety despite limited playing time in 2019. Kam Curl's early departure leaves the defense with a big hole and while there are a couple other candidates to fill the spot like Myles Mason or early enrollee Myles Slusher, Catalon seems poised to step up in his second year.

Catalon is quick, instinctual and unafraid. He proved to have a nose for the football during practices and scrimmages, so he's expected to come up with a few takeaways for the Hogs next season.

Former Arkansas head coach Chad Morris identified 4-star Jalen Catalon very early on as one of his top targets for the 2019 class. Catalon was the shiny red bow on top of a historic class with 13 4-star signees for the Hogs. He chose Arkansas over Texas, TCU and Oklahoma despite Arkansas's 2-10 record. Catalon announced his commitment in January after two of his teammates, Enoch Jackson and Taurean Carter, had already committed to Arkansas. Catalon's older brother Kendall, a wide receiver, transferred from Southern University to Arkansas on scholarship at the same time that Jalen enrolled.

Catalon missed his senior season of football after suffering a torn ACL in his first game.