As the BYU football program approaches the conclusion of Spring Camp, the busiest recruiting season of the year is quickly approaching. The BYU coaching staff will be on the recruiting trail in the coming months before hosting official visitors throughout the summer.
On Monday, BYU made a offer to speed cornerback John Catlin. Catlin, a Texas native, is a sprinter and football player. He ran a personal best of 10. 6 seconds in the 100M sprint. We spoke with Catlin to discuss his most recent offer from BYU and to learn more about his recruiting process.
Catlin received an offer from BYU on the same day that he contacted BYU cornerbacks coach Lewis Walker. However, Catlin had allegedly been on Coach Walker’s radar for some time.
I just contacted Coach Walker on Monday, Catlins said. He informed me that he had been trying to recruit me for a while… When I received the offer, coach and I spoke for around 20 minutes, and it was a fantastic chat for sure. He told me a lot about BYU.
In terms of his prior knowledge of BYU before being contacted by the football staff, he remarked, I know that BYU is a strong developmental program, which is precisely what I want in a program.
Catlin is 5’11” tall and weighs 165 pounds. He is being recruited as a cornerback. Last season, as a junior, he had over 30 tackles, 16 PBUs, three interceptions, and a fumble recovery on defense.
He was also a special teams standout. He scored three return touchdowns, including two long punt return touchdowns and a kickoff return touchdown. With his speed and ability to make tacklers miss in the open, his return expertise has the potential to translate to the next level.
He also stopped three field goals and an extra point, indicating his agility off the line. On movie, his instincts stand out the most. He frequently makes the proper read and plays the ball.
As of this writing, Catlin has received competing offers from Iowa State, Boston College, Colorado State, Tulsa, New Mexico, and Texas State, among others.
In terms of the next steps in his recruiting, he is hoping to have an official trip scheduled. I do have intentions to visit, Catlin stated. Me and Coach Walker will talk with my parents again about an official visit.
Catlin is one of the first targets for BYU’s new cornerbacks coach, Lewis Walker. Coach Walker was engaged earlier this year after Jernaro Gilford departed for Michigan.
