Tucker Kattus' Recent Visit to Kentucky Sealed His Commitment: 'It's Family'
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The word “family” is thrown around in recruiting a lot. However, for Kentucky’s newest offensive line commit, Tucker Kattus, UK is family in the most literal sense.
The 2025 three-star interior offensive lineman from St. Xavier (Cincinnati, OH) is the younger brother of Kentucky tight end Josh Kattus, who will be a junior this fall, and Justin Kattus, who accepted a walk-on opportunity in January. In an interview with KSR+ on Wednesday, the youngest Kattus said that he chose UK “because it felt like family.”
“I’ve been down there many times and you just get that feeling,” Kattus said.
It wasn’t just his brothers who wanted Tucker to commit to Kentucky. The coaching staff, especially offensive line coach Eric Wolford, played a significant role in Kattus’ commitment.
“The coaches also really wanted me,” he said. “I was communicating with Coach Wolford when he was at Alabama, so he recruited me then. Coach Wolford offered me my eighth-grade year, going into high school. I’ve been building a great relationship with him.”
Kattus said that Wolford continually told him that he was a priority for Kentucky. He said it was made clear on his recent visit to Kentucky over the weekend
“Coach Wolford is definitely the best offensive line coach in college,” Kattus said. “He’s had a lot of experience in the SEC. He’s coached really great players and has sent a ton of offensive linemen to the NFL.”
Tucker Kattus’ Spring Visit
Despite the family connection, Kentucky wasn’t the school making a push for Tucker Kattus. The 6-foot-5, 300-pound lineman held offers from the likes of Michigan, Missouri, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Louisville, and Cincinnati.
However, when Kattus made his most recent trip to Kentucky on Saturday, March 23, he knew he found his home. He returned from his visit on Sunday and then told the coaches on Monday that he was committing.
“I had a great time and absolutely loved it,” he said. “They wanted me really bad.”
During his visit, Kattus talked to junior offensive lineman Jager Burton, who shed more light on the program. Burton was originally recruited by Coach Wolford when he committed in the 2021 class.
“I got to talk to some other players about the program and how they feel about it,” Kattus said. “They’ll be honest with me. That’s one thing they told me. I got to talk with them and I didn’t hear a single negative thing about it.”
With the recruiting process now behind him, Kattus looks back fondly at the experience. He was able to meet coaches and players from all over.
“It was hard making this decision because I was so close with other coaches too,” he said. “Just meeting all the people and other recruits from all over the country was really cool.”
Starting to Do Some Recruiting of His Own
With Tucker Kattus’ commitment, Kentucky now has the No. 28 recruiting class in 2025, according to the On3 Team Rankings. Kattus doesn’t know his four other fellow commits well yet, but that’s a process he’s excited to start.
“I started following a few of them on Instagram today,” he said. “I’m trying to build a relationship with them. I’m going to keep working on the 2025 class and hopefully get some other people to commit.”
One of those players that he wants to help recruit is three-star offensive tackle Darrin Strey out of Michigan. Kattus met Strey for the first time at Kentucky over the weekend and the two hit it off immediately.
“We already have a really good relationship,” Kattus said. “He’s someone I can talk to and he definitely likes Kentucky and is definitely a priority.”
As for other targets, Kattus is going to start to look into it further. He’s ready to help in any way he can.
“I have to do some more investigating,” he said. “Whenever Coach Wolfy or Coach Marrow hit me up to say hit up this guy, I’ll hit him up.”
Tucker Kattus’ Game
Three-star interior offensive lineman Tucker Kattus of Cincinnati (OH) St. Xavier is the nation’s No. 837 overall prospect, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. On3 ranks Kattus as the No. 44 interior offensive lineman and the No. 26 overall best player in Ohio.
“Obviously, I want to make it to the NFL,” Kattus said. “I want to become a leader, develop my body, learn more about the game, and just become a better man.”
Kattus considers his pass blocking to be his greatest strength. His size makes him an intimidating force.
“I’m pretty powerful,” he said. “[I want to improve] a little bit on run blocking, really seal that edge, especially on wide zone.”
Before he gets to Kentucky, Kattus has high aspirations for his high school team. He wants to finish out his career at St. Xavier with a state championship.
“My team has really been focusing on leadership this offseason,” he said. “I want to work on my leadership and leave a legacy behind at St. Xavier as one of the people to look up to.”
