Senior tight end Josh Kattus says his parents taught him to always give back to others. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Kentucky senior tight end Josh Kattus has been selected as one of only 11 members from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision to the Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team.
He has volunteered to participate in the “Dancing with the Lexington Stars” event that has raised money for Lexington Rotary Club Endowment Fund and Surgery on Sunday, a nonprofit that provides essential outpatient procedures at no cost to income-eligible individuals, and Baby Health Services that provides free care to uninsured children.
He also is a weekly volunteer at the Kentucky Children’s Hospital and he has volunteered at the Scott County Humane Society and Ronald McDonald House. He also organized a shoe drive last week for Camp Horsin’ Around, an organization that helps children with special needs.
“It’s an incredible honor to be a part of this team. It’s something I’ve prided myself on ever since I was a kid, and something my parents have instilled in me is always doing what you can to give back to the community,” Kattus said. “We have a four-year window to do so.”
He said patients at the Kentucky Children’s Hospital “make his day” by showing how “happy and excited they are” to see Kattus and several other UK players. He also said participating in Dancing with the Stars got him out of his “comfort zone” while raising money for special causes.
“I am blessed to be here and just want to give back to the community as much as I can,” Kattus said.
The tight end has also been giving back a lot to the football team. Going into the South Carolina game, Kattus is the team’s leading receiver with eight catches for 112 yards and one score.
“I think there’s been a lot of good and there’s been some ups and downs (through three games). We have a really big game coming up at South Carolina,” Kattus said. “I think we’ll be ready to go for that Saturday.”
Kattus was glad UK had an open date last week. He went to Clemson over the weekend to watch his youngest brother play. He also knew it was a good time to let his body rest and give younger players some needed practice reps. He said offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan told his players last week to go to a movie or hang with friends.
“Just something to take a little bit of stress off,” Kattus said. “I think it’s really important nowadays with the landscape of college sports to take care of yourself mentally.
