Joel Klatt college stats: Exploring popular CFB analyst's playing career

Joel Klatt is a big name in college sports these days as an analyst for Fox Sports. On his eponymous podcast on Wednesday, he praised the Tennessee Volunteers as the most impressive team of the first two weeks of the 2024 season. However, Klatt was not always an analyst, he was once a college football starting quarterback as well.

Looking back on Joel Klatt's college football career

Before starting his college football career, Klatt was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, basketball and baseball). He lettered in all three sports for four years of his high school career, which led to him getting drafted 319th overall in the 2000 MLB draft by the San Diego Padres.

As a third baseman, Joel Klatt played two seasons of minor league baseball with moderate success. However, upon not making the Class A-Advanced level during spring training in 2022, he turned to college football and was selected as a walk-on at the University of Colorado.

When Klatt arrived at Colorado, he did so as a true freshman. He played in parts of three games, mostly on the punt return team rather than as a quarterback. The next year, however, Klatt won the starting QB position. It would kick off a three-year run of success for him with the Colorado Buffaloes.

In his first season, Klatt completed 233 of 358 passes for a 65.1% completion rate. He threw for 2614 yards, 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. His performance earned him All-Big 12 honors and the John Mack Award for Colorado's Offensive Player of the Year. In 2004, Klatt passed for 2,398 yards with 11 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

Prior to Joel Klatt's third season with Colorado, he was upgraded to scholarship status after playing the previous two years as a walk-on. He continued to perform well, leading Colorado to a Big 12 Conference North title. He set eight school records and also led his team to a Houston Bowl win.

In Klatt's final season, he led Colorado to another Big 12 North title, with 2,696 yards, 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions. However, he suffered a concussion in the Big 12 championship game and was hospitalized for several weeks. He ended his college career with 690 completions on 1128 attempts, 7708 passing yards, 46 passing touchdowns and 33 interceptions.

The concussion ended up being the end of Joel Klatt's football career. He was not selected in the 2006 NFL draft and although he ended mini-camps for the Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints, he did not make either team. He got his first broadcasting opportunity for FSN Rocky Mountain that fall.