What Jalen Catalon means for the Texas secondary
Former Arkansas safety Jalen Catalon elected to continue his college career at Texas today after a Sunday spent visiting the campus and coaches. This was UT’s second chance after the Tom Herman staff came up short while Catalon was at Mansfield Legacy in the 2019 class.
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There will be an enduring question over whether or not Catalon can remain healthy after playing just six games in 2021 and one in 2022. Of course those concerns are fair, but at the same time the coaches are getting Catalon up to speed they’ll continue developing Kitan Crawford and B.J. Allen Jr.
Michael Taaffe is also part of the equation as the program looks to replace Anthony Cook who was last seen having a very strong final game after a strong final season. Texas can win games with a duo of Taaffe and Jerrin Thompson. That ‘floor’ allows the coaches to make an aggressive move like signing Catalon to raise the ceiling.
Cook’s season is instructive of the staff’s ability to develop in the event they couldn’t adequately address the position through the portal, which they tried last year. Cook’s steady, heady, and physical play, was also a product of his experience, but the staff still put him in position to succeed and knew what they had in him even if he was largely unproven at the position.
Catalon’s arrival doesn’t mean other players will stop developing. Due to his history, the coaches must develop others like if Catalon isn’t on the roster.
But let’s pretend for a moment Catalon remains healthy for the bulk of the 2023 season. If that occurs, Texas will have one of the best safety duos in the country.
Jerrin Thompson had a very strong year and would have received more notice for it if he had more interceptions (he finally got one in the bowl game). With Catalon arriving, expect Thompson to move back to field safety. This was the staff’s original plan for Thompson last season but they felt Cook was better suited for field rather than boundary. Thompson has good range and is a smart player. It is likely he’ll find his hands on more passes next year.
That would put Catalon in the boundary where he’ll be able to serve as a bowling ball playing downhill in search of pins. Boundary safety allows for more freelance than field safety and Catalon has plus instincts for it as well as physicality.
Both Thompson and Cook played with physicality, but they weren’t necessarily always ‘physical’. That’s because they’re built more like corners. Credit to them for the way they threw their bodies around and played through injury this season.
Cook’s departure leaves a bit of a leadership void, however Catalon, a former Arkansas captain, should earn the same respect Cook had over time. Thompson is already one of the team’s most important leaders and the quarterback of the secondary.
Football leadership and IQ is going to be stellar at safety and if the duo stays healthy, Texas will have one of the best secondaries in the country in 2023.
