KENNESAW, Ga. – From where he was patrolling in the front left corner of the end zone in the final game that Goon Squad played against Thoroughbreds in group play of the Pylon 7-on-7 National Championships, Rivals250 safety Jalen Catalon saw the quarterback look to the clear opposite sideline and load up to throw.
By the time the ball had made it to the back right corner, so did Catalon, at full-stretch, both hands on the pass. He didn’t get enough of it to secure the interception, but the point had been made: No space in the secondary is out of his reach.
Those kinds of moments are what so many teams that have been after him over the course of the spring have been hoping to add to their respective 2019 classes, but they’re going to have to keep it up. Even though he’s been able to cut his list down to a Top 8, he said that he’s not prepared to make a commitment until after he’s taken all of his official visits in the fall.
Among the teams that many are keeping the closest watch on, are Arkansas, Clemson, TCU and Texas. Catalon has openly discussed the Tigers being his top team for some time now, but depending on who you ask, any of those other teams has some reason or another to feel like they are moving up his list of favorites.
IN HIS WORDS
On Arkansas
“I love Arkansas,” he said. “Just the coaches and everything, I’m looking to take a visit on July 27 for a barbecue they’re having up there. So I am going to go up there and see what it’s like ahead of my official when they play Alabama during the season.”
“I feel like they have a great coaching staff and they’re on the rise,” he said. “Coach (Chad) Morris is a good coach and I can see myself playing with them.”
On Clemson
“That’s one that’s stuck with me,” he said. “The campus is nice, the coaching staff is great and there’s opportunity that I see for myself as well. It’s something I can’t turn down and something I’m going to have to look at when I’m thinking about my top schools. I love what they have to offer, I’m just continuing to look into it.”
On TCU
“They’ve been keeping up with me a lot,” he said. “I like Coach (Gary) Patterson, I love the defensive line coach, Coach (Zarnell) Fitch and I also like Coach (Paul) Gonzales – he talks to me just about every single week and I appreciate that. It’s close to home, 25 minutes away and I can’t argue with that. I want to stay close to home for my parents.”
“William Jones over at Mansfield-Summit has been recruiting me. Donovann Collins at Cedar Hill has been trying to recruit me as well,” he said. “They’re my boys and I can see myself playing there as well, but I have to keep on looking into everything.”
On Texas
“The wanted me out there [this past weekend’s Heat Wave pool party], but I told them I was going to be in Atlanta,” he said. “I’ll be up there for a visit – I am going to try and get up there before my official – not sure when that’s going to be, but I am going to try and get that going.”
“The recruitment is good, they stay on top of me,” he said. “Especially Coach (Tom) Herman and (Craig) Naivar; he keeps up with me a lot and I appreciate that. They’ve got some opportunities for me to look into and those opportunities are good. So I have to continue to look into that, but as of right now, things are looking pretty good.”
