Ex-Buff Klatt Living 'Dream' As Fox Analyst

Editor's note: This is our second story in a series on University of Colorado graduates who have become leading voices in the national sports media. Earlier, we talked with ESPN's Chris Fowler. Today, we catch up with former CU standout quarterback (and economics major) Joel Klatt, now the lead college football analyst for Fox Sports:

BOULDER — Every once in awhile — in particular, just about every Saturday in the fall — Joel Klatt has to pinch himself as a reminder that he's not dreaming.

Klatt, an outstanding college football player in his own right, is now getting paid — rather well, as a matter of fact — to watch some of the best college football games in the nation every week. In return for the handsome salary, Klatt provides expert analysis on the game he's watching.

For someone who spent much of his life participating in sports, it's a dream job.

For someone who once dreamed of playing professional football (he also spent two years playing minor league baseball in the San Diego Padres farm system), it's the next best thing — and as he noted with a laugh, "This way, my brain is guaranteed to survive."

Earlier this year, Klatt was named as Fox Sports' lead college football analyst, teaming up each week with lead game broadcaster Gus Johnson and sideline reporter Molly McGrath. Klatt is as good as anyone in the business — pro or college — at his job, which is offering insight to a game at which he once excelled as a player and one which he now spends dozens and dozens of hours every week studying, dissecting and analyzing.

"Since the day I started in this business, my goal has been to be a lead network college football analyst," Klatt said. "When I look back, it's been an interesting journey — and I have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming it all."

The "journey" certainly traveled some interesting paths.

After his playing career at Colorado, one in which he set 44 different passing records and played in two Big 12 championship games, Klatt had two pro tryouts (Saints and Lions), but never made a regular season roster. After that, he figured it was time to put his economics degree to use in the business world, with real estate a likely choice.

But in the spring of 2006, he was asked to work the FSN broadcast of CU's spring game.

"I figured, 'Why not?'" Klatt said. "I did it, I had fun — and I never really thought about it again after that.".

But that next fall, FSN called again and asked if he'd call a high school football game for the network. At almost exactly the same time, longtime CU sports information director Dave Plati recommended Klatt to take his place on an Altitude sports show when Plati couldn't make the taping for one of the episodes.

A week later, both networks called Klatt and asked if he'd be interested in doing more work for them.

"I soon got a call from Altitude telling me how great Joel did," Plati remembers. "And would I mind if he replaced me (permanently). Music to my ears — and he looks a lot better on TV than I ever did."

That was officially the beginning of a career that has now given Klatt one of the best seats in the house for some of the biggest games in the nation.

But truth be told, he was being trained for the job years before — even though he didn't realize it at the time.

As CU's quarterback, Klatt was regularly requested by the media to talk about the Buffs' exploits. And as CU's quarterback during the recruiting ordeal of 2003-04, he became the unofficial spokesman for a team that suddenly found itself in a very unwanted spotlight.

"To begin with, you guys (the media) always wanted to talk to me because I was the quarterback," Klatt said. "I had a lot of opportunities because of that.

"Then, when Gary (Barnett, former CU coach) was suspended in the spring of 2004, I was the one who had to talk to the national media — Good Morning America, the Today Show, CNN. They weren't asking regular football questions, but I was representing the team and the university. It was important that I deliver the right message, and that's when I think I really started learning how to offer some insight."

Plati remembers when Klatt was thrust into that arena.

"He had been my 'go-to guy' during our ordeal," Plati said. "When he answered questions from the media, he gave good, well-thought out responses. I didn't realize it at the time, but by doing so many interviews and his natural ability on camera, he was likely being groomed for something he had no idea he'd wind up doing for a career."

After his initial work with FSN and Altitude, he began performing more work for those networks. Then came some radio talk shows and more television work, finally leading to a position with Fox Sports Southwest as a studio host. He also worked pre- and postgame shows for Colorado Rockies games for Root Sports, then joined Fox Sports 1 for its 2013 launch, becoming what Klatt describes as a "utility player," a role that included some NFL studio analysis, some college football games and "just about anything else they'd throw my way."

But now he's strictly college football. His only connection to the NFL these days is his work with the NFL Draft, where he has quickly earned wide acclaim as one of the nation's most savvy draft analysts.

(In case you're wondering, Klatt is one of the few analysts in the nation who rated former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota ahead of ex-Florida State star Jameis Winston.)

As a former player, Klatt obviously knows the game. But he says there's much more to it than simply having played the game.

"What has proven to be extremely valuable is the position I played and how I was taught," Klatt said. "Certainly playing quarterback, you had to know what was going on everywhere.

"But I didn't just know what was happening, I knew why it was happening. I was taught the nuance of the game. The execution of detail and concepts is incredibly important. Great coaches not only understand that, they also impart that knowledge to their players. I had great coaches who helped me understand all those things."

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu

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