FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas safety Jalen Catalon was projected by The Associated Press to be a second-team All-American in 2021, and he looked the part in the opener against Rice.
Catalon had two interceptions and 11 tackles in Week 1. But injuries eventually derailed his season.
Catalon injured his left hand in the fourth game against Texas A&M when he already was playing with a banged-up right shoulder. The drop in his play as the season went on — not effort, but results — became noticeable. Catalon wasn’t able to finish some tackles he normally would make and couldn’t hang onto potential interceptions.
“We were basically asking him to do something he wasn’t capable of doing, but because of his love for the team he continued to try to play,” Razorbacks Coach Sam Pittman said. “But at some point we had to make a better decision and get him fixed.”
After starting the first six games and making 46 tackles, Catalon underwent shoulder surgery and had to watch the final seven games of what turned into a 9-4 season for Arkansas.
“It was extremely tough, for sure,” Catalon said. “There were some tough nights and tough days where I’d say, ‘Dang, I’m not out there anymore.’
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“But I’m 100% healthy now and I’m excited to get back on the field.”
Catalon, a redshirt junior from Mansfield, Texas, is set to make his return when No. 19 Arkansas opens against No. 23 Cincinnati on Sept. 3 at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
After wearing a green no-contact jersey in spring practice, Catalon has gone full speed in training camp.
“I think my camp’s been really good,” he said. “I’ve been trying to work on being consistent and being a vocal guy more for the defense. Be a guy that people can look at for energy, or look at a guy that’s going to go out and strain for his defense.
“And the seven games I was off? You’d best believe I’ll be ready when September 3rd comes around.”
Pittman said Catalon has been impressive in camp.
“He makes a lot of plays,” Pittman said. “He looks fast. His eyes seem to be in the right place all the time. Cat’s like he never missed a beat.”
Catalon, who has 151 tackles and 5 interceptions in 20 games, was a first-team All-SEC pick in 2020 before his preseason honors last year. Voters at SEC Media Days in July made him a first-team all-conference pick again.
“It’s huge,” fifth-year senior safety Simeon Blair said of Catalon’s return. “He makes us go, really, and he always comes to work every single day.
“He keeps the same mindset, so even if you’re tired, you know you can lean on him and he’s going to bring some energy. That just pumps us up to make us keep going.”
Blair, who had 38 tackles last season when he made seven starts and played in 13 games, is set to start alongside Catalon with Georgia transfer Latavious Brini and sophomore Jayden Johnson also figuring to get quality snaps at safety.
“Our depth is really great back there, and it starts with Sim,” Catalon said. “Sim Blair has been a really great vocal guy for us. High energy.
“And you can trust him. I mean, he’s going to be assignment sound, he’s going to know his keys, and he’s going to make plays out there.”
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Blair came to Arkansas from Pine Bluff in 2018 as a walk-on and was put on scholarship before the 2020 season.
“Sim plays with a chip on his shoulder,” defensive coordinator Barry Odom said. “You look at him and Catalon, the way that they talk on the field and communicate, and they have reached an elite level on what that’s supposed to look like.
“You know exactly what you’re going to get with Sim. He’s the same dude every day, and he brings such terrific value to our program.”
Blair said it was challenging to begin his college career as a walk-on.
“It’s real tough, but it instills in you to be a hard worker, which I learned from my mom and my dad when I was younger,” he said. “I felt like I could come up here and earn a scholarship.”
Johnson moved to safety from nickel back, where he played in 11 games last season — including three starts — and had 24 tackles.
“I feel like Jayden’s a whole different monster,” Blair said. “He took everything serious, from the weights to spring ball. He slimmed down, he’s got a six-pack now. He’s very much more in shape, he’s faster.
“He’s always been a hard hitter, but in his mind he knows that, ‘I can be a dominant force on the field.’ ”
Johnson, down to 205 pounds after playing between 225 and 230 last season, said he’s built a strong relationship with Blair.
“If I have any questions, I know I can go ask him and he’s going to tell me,” Johnson said. “Then, we’re on the field and he’ll see a formation and he’s calling out routes — ‘Jay, you’ve got this, you’ve got that.’
"I just go with it and he’ll be right."
Brini, a fifth-year senior, played in 13 games for Georgia’s national championship team last season and made 11 starts at the “star” position, which in the Bulldogs’ scheme is a combination of a safety and outside linebacker. He had 38 tackles.
“I love the kid,” said Pittman, who as Georgia’s offensive line coach from 2016-19 got to know Brini. “I think he’s more comfortable, and the team has done a nice job of accepting him.”
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Brini went through spring practice with the Razorbacks.
“You’re going through a new system and schematic change and terminology and the way we practice,” Odom said. “And he’s playing a different spot than he did at Georgia.
“I like the way that he’s progressing, and I think he’s going to play winning football.”
Considering how many games Catalon missed last season, his return is similar to adding another experienced safety.
“It’s almost like getting a transfer portal guy if you can look at it that way,” Pittman said. “A guy that we already know is a really good player.”
Catalon said he’s working to raise his play to a higher level.
“For me it’s just focusing on the key parts that I get from coaching that I need to work on,” he said. “Whether that’s just being in a stance or if that’s making sure I’m reading the right guy, being the right leverage in man press or off-man.
“There’s little things that I know I can add to my game, or just correct in my game, to elevate it even more.”
Razorbacks' safeties at a glance
RETURNING STARTERS: Simeon Blair (7 starts last season), Jalen Catalon (6), Jayden Johnson (3)
LOSS: Joe Foucha
WHO’S BACK: Jacorrei Turner, Zach Zimos
WHO’S NEW: Latavious Brini, Anthony Brown
WALK-ONS: McKinley Williams, Landon Phipps, John Paul Pickens, Drew Winn
ANALYSIS Catalon’s return from shoulder and hand injuries that caused him to miss the final 7 games last season — and his decision to wait another year to enter the NFL Draft — is a huge plus for the defense as the redshirt junior should be one of the top safeties in the country. Blair, a former walk-on, is a fifth-year senior with plenty of experience who has developed into a team leader. Brini started 11 games last season for national champion Georgia and has made good strides in camp as he gets more used to his new team. Johnson made the move from nickel back and adds quality depth.