Freshman Tight End Josh Kattus Playing 'Nasty,' Blocking His Way Into Bigger Role

The young Cincinnati native is separating himself amongst a packed tight end room this season.

Kentucky's tight end room was considered one of the deeper position groups for the Wildcats entering the 2022 season. Offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello has been in awe of the talent at his disposal ever since the beginning of fall camp. 

Now nine games in, the chips are still finding ways to fall amongst the primary targets. 

It was expected that seniors Brenden Bates and Keaton Upshaw would carry the load when it came to receptions and making plays. Bates has landed 10 catches for 99 yards and a score, while Upshaw has hauled in just four catches for 50 yards. 

Instead, a pair of freshmen have jumped the lunch line, becoming integral parts of the Wildcat offense over the course of the season. 

Redshirt freshman Jordan Dingle has caught at least one pass in all nine games so far this season, totaling 17 grabs for 188 yards and three touchdowns. Tight ends coach Vince Marrow referred to the Bowling Green, Ky. native as a "Swiss-army knife" back in fall camp, and it's now become clear to see why. 

His production has elevated him to becoming a top target for quarterback Will Levis heading into the final stretch of the season, that's evident when looking at the stat sheet. 

Someone who you don't see showing up in those stat sheets is true freshman TE Josh Kattus. 

A true blocking machine, Kattus has carved out a role for himself this year, doing the dirty work for four quarters a night, every night. He was finally rewarded with his first reception of the season last Saturday in Kentucky's win over Missouri. 

Following practice on Tuesday, Scangarello discussed the rise of the young pair: 

"It says a lot about how good they are, because those other players are good players too... they've earned that right through just really solid play, whether it's blocking or route running or pass catching, the reliability, availability, all of it," he said. "Those guys, they got a lot of grit, they're really special, talented players, you could see it early on. I really feel like we've got two special freshman players who are going to be a big part of our future."

For Kattus, he doesn't mind not seeing his name in box scores. He knew from the day he arrived to Kentucky that by doing grunt work, he'd be rewarded over time. 

"Coach Marrow told me as a recruit, he said 'one thing I wanna see you be able to do is block, if you can block you can get on the field.' So that's just one thing I was good at in high school and I hope to carry on here. So I do think that was a big thing that helped contribute to me getting on the field," he said. 

Coming out of the esteemed Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Kattus wasn't a sought-after recruit. Rated a 3-star by 247Sports, Arkansas was the only other Power Five school who offered the 6-foot-4, 235-pounder. 

Through Marrow, there was a lane that Kattus saw himself fitting into at Kentucky. All it was going to take was a little work, which was no issue at all for the young and hungry freshman.

"I knew what I was capable of all along and I just knew I had to keep working," he said. "I knew coach Marrow had faith in me, I just knew I had to work at it to get what I wanted. I'm glad I was able to achieve it and start getting on the field and proving it each week." 

"Kattus is a baller," wide receiver Dane Key added. "He doesn't care if he gets the ball or not, he's going to come out there and play, he'll block anybody...when it's his time to make a play, he'll make a play."

Back in preseason camp, Scangarello, Marrow and others mentioned that Kattus' play-style was one that could get under the skin of a defender, even some of his teammates when going up against him in practice.

 The term "pest" was used, among other things. 

"After the whistle, I go back to the huddle and try not to get into it with any of them. Between the whistles, i'm nasty out there, ima bring it to 'em," Kattus said. "I think it's come naturally. My dad's always told me 'play to the whistle.' Each play i'm just going to give it my all and that's all I can do."

The room for improvement for Kattus is of course still exponential, as his ability as a pass-catcher is still truly yet to be seen in-game. After all, he's just a freshman. 

With Kattus, as well as Dingle, Kentucky has its hands on a hard-nosed pair of tight ends that bring nothing but upside to the table as they continue to mature and grow. 

"I'm very glad that we get the opportunity over the next couple of years to build this tight end room into something even more special than it has been," Kattus said. 

The future is indeed bright in the Wildcats' tight end room. 

Kentucky Football News

Kentucky will be without punter Colin Goodfellow for the rest of the season. For more on the injury and others ahead of the Cats' matchup against Vanderbilt, click here.

Linebacker DeAndre Square has returned to the depth chart after not playing against Mizzou.

The Wildcats will kickoff at 3:30 p.m. EST next weekend against Georgia

Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.

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