Why Missouri's Jalen Catalon won't blink vs. Texas A&M: He's on Year 7 of top-10 Saturdays - ESPN

Missouri safety Jalen Catalon has played a lot of college football.

When the Tigers welcome No. 3 Texas A&M to Columbia on Saturday for a major SEC matchup, Catalon won't be likely to blink. He's been there before — and then some.

Catalon's collegiate career started in 2019 at Arkansas, where he played four games, redshirting as a freshman. He spent three more seasons with the Razorbacks, gaining additional eligibility throughout — COVID-19 altered the 2020 campaign and injuries ended his 2021 and 2022 seasons prematurely.

His next step after Arkansas was Texas, where he spent another injury-impacted season before transferring to UNLV in 2024. Finally, after a standout year in Las Vegas, Catalon transferred one last time, to Missouri for 2025.

Across seven years, four teams and three conferences, this weekend's showdown with the Aggies will mark the eleventh game the veteran defensive back has played against a top-10 opponent in his collegiate career. From facing off against the likes of Matt Corral, Bo Nix and Jalen Milroe to an offer from a national champion coach you might not expect, Catalon's career has had plenty of twists and turns.

Here are some of the wild numbers behind the safety's journey to Week 11's ranked mid-afternoon showdown.

299: Combined tackles

Unsurprisingly, Catalon has racked up a lot of stats across his 51 career games. His most productive tackling year came when he first broke out in his second season at Arkansas. The safety posted 51 solo tackles along with 48 assisted tackles (as well as two tackles for loss), earning All-SEC honors.

After injuries limited his production for the next three years, Catalon saw another stat sheet surge with UNLV in 2024. Across 14 games for the Rebels, he amassed