Jacob Katauskas is the Saluki O-line’s Swiss Army knife
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois junior offensive lineman Jacob Katauskas pulled off the trifecta last Saturday against Youngstown State. He played three O-Line positions during the game — both right and left tackle, plus left guard.
At the midway point of the season, the Lemont, Illinois native has now played every position on the offensive line except center. He’s the unit’s Swiss Army knife, the jack-of-all-trades, the utility man — pick your favorite descriptor.
“Jacob has a very high football IQ and a skill-set athletically that allows him to play every position,” explained offensive line coach Dan Clark. “If somebody gets banged up or needs a series off, he's right there to fill the gap.”
When Blaine Halley was injured early in the season, Katauskas took 142 snaps at left tackle. When Derek Harden Jr. missed two games, he played 116 snaps at right guard.
Katauskas is not just filling the space, either. He has a 98 percent pass-blocking efficiency rate, spanning 284 total snaps.
“There’s a real comfort for me knowing we’ve got a guy who’s not going to miss a beat with when he comes in,” Clark said.
“I give all the credit to Coach Clark,” Katauskas said. “He does a really good job preparing us.”
Extra film study is one of the keys to his versatility, he said.
“I take pride in watching film and knowing what every position on the field is doing, from the D-line to the linebackers,” Katauskas said. “I know that when I'm switching between guard and tackle during games, I’ll face every single position out there.”
Now that the team’s starting five O-linemen are healthy, Clark has mapped out a plan to use Katauskas to give the starters breaks during the game.
“I told the guys that Jacob's going to take his series at these certain spots, and that will help keep you fresh for the fourth quarter,” Clark said. “The starting five has to keep pushing themselves and playing well because they got Jacob right behind them.”
Katauskas thinks back to when he first fell in love with the game of football. His parents signed him up to play in the fourth grade, and as one of the biggest kids on the team, he immediately went to the O-line.
“I remember if you had the most knockdowns in the game, they would give you a brick,” Katauskas said. “I always tried to get the brick every week.”
When he was a sophomore at Lemont High School in suburban Chicago, Katauskas was called up to the varsity, where he eventually developed into an all-state performer. One of his first offers came from Clark, but he ultimately chose Coastal Carolina and spent the 2024 season with the FBS program.
Katauskas went into the portal after his freshman season and was immediately contacted by Clark.
“A couple days after that, I came on a visit to SIU and committed on my visit,” he recalled. “I really loved everything about this place. I always dreamed of doing this, just playing college football, playing in front of a big crowd, in a big stadium.”
Although Katauskas played tackle in high school, the 6-foot-4, 312-pound lineman thought he’d strictly be a guard in college.
“Height-wise, I’m a little undersized for a tackle,” he acknowledged. “But I really try to hone-in on my technique. Coach Clark preaches being explosive in my set, playing with a good base, getting my hands inside.”
Katauskas has a younger brother, Ethan, who also plays college football and is a freshman at Division III Wisconsin Platteville. Ironically, his brother plays center, the one position Jacob has yet to play.
Would Katauskas be interested in running the table and playing his fifth O-line position at SIU?
“If they asked me to, I would,” he smiled. “But I'll just stick with guard and tackle for now.”
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