Mike Katic, a former center at Indiana University, has decided to leave his NFL dreams behind and join Barstool Sports as a media personality and analyst. After initially declaring for the NFL Draft, Katic returned to school for his final year of eligibility and has now decided to pursue a career in media.
Katic will start working at Barstool Sports on March 1 and will be based out of the company’s Chicago office. He made the announcement on “The Yak” with Dan “Big Cat” Katz, stating that he is “pumped” to be joining the team and thinks this is what he was “born to do.”
Katic’s hiring was facilitated by Barstool founder Dave Portnoy, who saw him in a few clips doing media work after being connected through a member of the Indiana University men’s basketball team. Katic played in 50 games for the Hoosiers and was likely to be a late-round selection if he had been taken in the NFL Draft.
Katic’s first interaction with Barstool Sports’ new hire, Jon Gruden, was captured on video, with Gruden asking Katic to get into a lineman stance and sharing a handshake and hug. Katic will work alongside Gruden and other Barstool personalities, and will bring his unique perspective as a former college athlete to the company.