Kentucky freshman tight end Josh Kattus might rule

At every fall camp, a star out of nowhere emerges as a guy that can be an unexpected contributor. At Kentucky, a low three-star true freshman is making a seismic impact.

Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller product Josh Kattus (6-4, 232) ranked outside of the top 30 in Ohio according to the On3 Consensus as the tight end was one of the lowest ranked commits in Kentucky’s 2022 signing class. Despite earning All-State honors, this was a recruitment that never really much buzz despite Kattus receiving several Power Five offers.

That is turning out to be a great development for Kentucky football. The newest tight end for assistant coach Vince Marrow has some traits that are making a quick transition as the newcomer might rule.

“I love him. I’m a big fan of Josh,” Kentucky offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello told KSR on Tuesday. “Got a long road to go, but he’s got some special qualities. He’s kind of become a favorite amongst the offense, too. He’s nasty, plays hard, plays to the whistle. I think he aggravates the defensive guys at times. He’s got a little something to him that’s going to make him a really good football player.

At Saturday’s open practice, the rookie popped multiple times. Josh Kattus made some hard-hitting blocks and was seen getting under the skin of some defenders. Being able to play with physicality is not something that comes very easy for young tight ends transitioning to this level. But the young player is flashing early, and some veteran teammates are starting to take notice.

“Kattus has that nasty mentality,” tight end and fellow Moeller alum Brenden Bates said on Tuesday. “I don’t know if that’s a Moeller high school thing or not but Kattus is really physical. Brings the thump, doesn’t care who he’s going against. He’ll bring the physicality and that’s what you need to be able to play in this room. That’s why he’s turning so many heads.”

“He’s turned heads ever since he got here,” quarterback Will Levis said on Saturday. “Obviously, not the biggest dude at the tight end position, but he’s just got a really good feel for the game.”

The true freshman comes from a very strong pedigree and that appears to be helping him transition. Eric Kattus, Josh’s father, played at Michigan and would then spend seven years in the NFL with most of that coming as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals organization. With that family background, Kattus is also from a strong high school football program. Moeller has won nine state championships at the highest classification in Ohio and is constantly competing against top-flight competition.

Kattus is no stranger to high-level football.

As a prospect, the rising freshman was a physical blocker that played with good technique and underrated athleticism in high school. The tight end flashed sure hands in the passing game, but his best traits came as a blocker. Josh Kattus flashed both the frame and play strength to contribute quickly to a college program and has the functional athleticism to succeed in multiple blocking schemes. The prospect played with a consistent motor and nasty streak that allowed him to finish blocks consistently.

As Scangarello is bringing some new run concepts to Kentucky, using tight ends creatively will be a big part of the package in Lexington. The new scheme will need these players to succeed in multiple blocking styles. Kattus is showing that the stage is not too big, and the true freshman has a chance to be a very good football player pretty quickly in his career at Kentucky.

“Josh Kattus is going to play this year,” Marrow said.

Kentucky has its new training camp star, and the bandwagon is forming early.