'He's a Different Cat': New Safety Jalen Catalon Brings Experience and IQ to Mizzou

Don't be misled by his last name; in the feline family, Jalen Catalon is much closer to a fierce lion than a cat. It makes him a perfect for the Tigers of Missouri.

The UNLV transfer was one of three additions the Missouri made at safety through the transfer portal this winter. At 23 years old, he's one of the most experienced players on a Missouri defense that is losing multiple veteran leaders.

The Tigers knew that safety was going to be one of their top priorities to address in the transfer portal this offseason. Most importantly, they needed experience in the defensive backend.

"We lost the three seniors (Tre’Vez Johnson, Sidney Williams and Charleston) last year who had played tons of snaps here," defensive Corey Batoon said in a press conference Tuesday. "So, we we're looking to bring in some veteran guys that have played a lot of snaps."

Sep 16, 2023; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns defensive back Jalen Catalon (11) breaks up a pass intended for Wyoming Cowboys tight end Treyton Welch (81) during the second half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

As far as experience goes, Catalon more than checks off that box. He's entering his seventh season of college football.

In his first year, Barry Odom was still the head coach at Missouri. In Catalon's second, Odom became his position coach and defensive coordinator at Arkansas, with the working together from 2020-2022.

Catalon would then transfer to Texas in 2023, while Odom accepted the head job at UNLV. When Catalon entered the transfer portal again after 2023, he would reunite with his former position coach, joining a UNLV team that would make it all the way to the Mountain West Championship.

Now, in 2024, Odom has taken the head job at Purdue and Catalon has transferred to Missouri.

Catalon has played at Faurot Field multiple times before though, suiting up for the Razorbacks in Columbia in 2020 and 2022.

If you need any more point of reference for just how long this cat has been around the block, the safety gave up a touchdown to former Missouri running back Tyler Badie in the fourth quarter of the 2020 game.

Dec 5, 2020; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers running back Tyler Badie (1) runs for a touchdown against Arkansas Razorbacks defensive back Jalen Catalon (1) during the second half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Catalon has already played under four different defensive coordinators in his collegiate career, giving him a wealth of background knowledge as he enters Missouri's program. He also offers positional versatility — at UNLV in 2024, he played 314 snaps in the box, 137 at slot corner and 415 at free safety, according to Pro Football Focus.

During spring practices where Missouri is looking to find the best fit for its new and young players, Catalon's flexibility is especially important.

"We're shaking it up, so guys are playing different positions," Batoon said of the team's approach to spring practices. "We're trying to create some competitive depth that way. He's done a nice job absorbing it."

Missouri is only completing its second week of spring practices, but Catalon's work ethic has already been evident to Batoon. It's the ideal approach to fit head coach Eli Drinkwitz's often stated idea that 'practice execution equaling game-day reality.'

Former Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron, a likely first-round selection in the upcoming NFL draft, saw this first hand when he shared the defensive backfield with Catalon in 2023 at Texas.

"I learned a lot from him, practice habits," Barron said at the NFL Scouting Combine. "He used to practice very fast, at a high pace. And he would tell me it would help him build calluses."

The preparation Catalon puts in is evident in his game. Sometimes, it almost looks as if he's patiently sitting in the backfield, watching the play develop a second ahead of everyone else on the field.

Then, he doesn't hesitate to go full speed one he can recognize what's going on in front of him. Or predicting what's going to happen.

This ability impressed linebacker Jackson Woodard, who played with Catalon at both Arkansas from 2020-2022, and at UNLV in 2024.

"He's a different cat when it comes to his level of understanding the game," Woodard said at the Combine. "He has a super high football IQ, which is really special to have that as a defensive back. He plays at a really high level, he comes down and hits people in the mouth."

Don’t test the middle of the field on Jalen Catalon😮‍💨pic.twitter.com/FltnhyZutK https://t.co/NfFyrfEOQF
— Chan (@CjMumme) June 27, 2023

Matching that play recognition with physicality is what makes Catalon such an effective defender. Why he was named to the first-team All-Mountain West in the 2024 season. He recorded 96 total tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and five interceptions last year with UNLV.

Instilling the mental recognition and physical toughness parts of his game in practice led to that success for Catalon.

"That's why you guys would see Jalen Catalon just the way he hits, the way he tackles, the physicality, because he built that throughout the practice," Barron said.

At Missouri, Catalon will fit right in with that physicality in practice. Batoon wants to get the rest of new players up to speed with the level of physicality he expects, but there should be little if any adjustment for Catalon.

"Physicality and toughness is one of the things we're working on this spring," Batoon said. "Because you got all those new bodies, this is what we're about and getting them used to kinda how we go about doing things in terms of physicality at practice. That’s part of what we are, that’s our standard."

Catalon's windy career thus far has been riddled by injuries. Across the 2021 and 2022 seasons, he was only able to play in a combined seven games. He played a minimal role for Texas in 2023 after suffering a lower-leg injury in the sixth game of the season.

Staying healthy at UNLV through 2024 allowed him to prove he still had the talent he had shown early in his career at Arkansas. Now with Missouri, Catalon will look to put together his experience and grit to put a cap on his long career.

Read more Missouri Tigers news: