Josh Kattus with his father, Eric, a former NFL player
Josh Kattus is not the first talented high school athlete to have been coached/mentored by his father to help develop his talent.
“My dad coached me in grade school. He has been with me along the way,” said Kattus, a tight end commitment in Kentucky’s 2022 recruiting class. “We did not have a tight end coach my freshman and sophomore years (in high school). He became the tight end coach and would watch film and help with workouts.
“He always wanted me to work to achieve what I wanted and understand nothing was going to be given to me. He made sure I knew I had to pave my own way.”
Not every star athlete’s father, though, was a professional football player like Eric Kattus. He played tight end at Michigan in the 1980s when current Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh was the quarterback. He had 38 catches for 582 yards and eight touchdowns in his career.
Later he was drafted in the fourth round in 1986 by the Cincinnati Bengals and played six years for the Bengals. Cincinnati won two AFC Central Division championships and reached the Super Bowl in 1988 when it lost to San Francisco. He also played one year with the New York Jets.
The UK commit said his father taught him all aspects of playing tight end, including how to block.
“He was a pretty good blocker from all I heard. He taught me how to stay low and not hold,” Josh Kattus said. “He also had pretty good hands and showed me some stuff about receiving and releasing on pass routes, but he was a much better blocker than receiver.”
Eric Kattus advised his son during his recruitment but did not nudge him in any direction as he had over 20 major offers before picking UK.
“Dad was just as happy as I was when I made my decision,” Josh Kattus said. “When I made the commitment he told me Kentucky was the right place and right fit. Kentucky checked off all my boxes and he told me it was going to be a fun journey at Kentucky for me.”
Kattus’ father also always encouraged him to play sports other than football.
He tried track, swimming and lacrosse.
“I also played basketball and still do. I also played baseball through eighth grade but then just stuck to football and basketball,” Josh Kattus said. “But playing multiple sports was good for me.”
