Follow Joel Klatt on twitter: @joelklatt
Former University of Colorado quarterback Joel Klatt joins FFD as a host and analyst after spending several seasons as a game analyst on FSN's Big 12 and Pac-12 Conference football coverage.
Klatt is considered one of the Buffaloes' all-time greatest quarterbacks. He set 44 school records as the Colorado starter from 2003-05 after joining the team as a "recruited" walk-on in 2002 following a brief stint in professional baseball. He enjoyed perhaps one of the best debuts as a starting quarterback in NCAA history in CUâs 42-35 victory over cross-town rival Colorado State in 2003 as he threw for 402 yards, four touchdowns and posted a single-game QB rating of 199.9, the second-best rating in CU history for a game with 30 or more attempts. He became only the third Buff to throw for over 2,500 yards in a season in his first year when he racked up 2,614 yards and 21 touchdowns, the second most in a single year for Colorado.
Klatt finished his Colorado career as the school's all-time leader in passing yards (7,375), touchdowns (44), competition percentage (60.8) and completions (666). His 44 school records are the second most by a Colorado student-athlete only to Byron "Whizzer" White's 51 set in 1934-37. Following his successful collegiate career, Klatt attended the Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints rookie mini-camps in 2006. He was signed as a free-agent by the Saints, who released him before the start of the regular-season.
The Colorado native was a three-sport All-State athlete for Pomona High School in Arvada. He led the football team to the Jefferson County league championship in his junior season, was a three-year letterman as a guard on the basketball team, and an All-State shortstop his senior year when his team was state runner-up. He was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 11th round of the 2000 amateur baseball draft and spent three seasons in the Padres minor league system before giving college football a try.
