UK football’s Josh Kattus trades game days for playtime at Kentucky Children’s Hospital

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 12, 2025) – Two-year-old Stetson, sitting with his mother in an infusion room in the DanceBlue Kentucky Children’s Hospital Hematology/Oncology Clinic, seems a little intimidated. Not by the doctors, nurses or the prospect of being poked by needles, but by the presence of four giants. These strangers, dressed in UK blue, sit in front of Stetson, gently bid him hello and ask about the bottle of bubbles he’s holding.

Soon, bubbles sail through the air and trepidation turns to delight. Stetson and his new friends watch them float before taking turns popping them. After a few more minutes being thoroughly impressed by Stetson’s bubble-popping skills, the group of four young men take their leave.

“Thank you for letting us come see you.”

Out in the hall, four of UK football’s finest are still smiling. They take a moment to sanitize their hands before moving to the next room to spread more joy. This is the weekly ritual for Josh Kattus, the senior tight end from Cincinnati. For an hour a week, he comes to Kentucky Children’s Hospital to visit, sign autographs, play games and just hang out with the young patients. He has no trouble recruiting a cadre of teammates to join him; making the rounds with him today are fellow tight end Willie Rodriguez, running back Seth McGowan and punter Aidan Laros.

In the next room, they meet an older patient who is a football superfan. There’s no talk of bubbles here; the five men develop a quick rapport, discussing their favorite NFL teams, waterskiing and which of Kentucky’s lakes have the best cliffs for diving.

For Kattus, this is a beloved tradition, one that he is all too happy to continue. The weekly visits were started by a predecessor and fellow tight end C.J. Conrad who played for UK from 2015 to 2018. But the notion of giving back to the community is something that was in instilled in Kattus by his parents at an early age.

“Ever since I was a kid, my parents encouraged me to chase my dreams — but they also placed a strong emphasis on giving back to the community,” he said. “They always reminded me that college would give me a platform to help others, and that what I do off the field matters just as much as what I do on it. When I learned about the work C.J. started, I immediately knew I wanted to carry it forward. Since then, it’s grown into something even bigger than I ever imagined.”

Some patients they meet are big fans of UK football and are eager to pick Kattus’s brain about last weekend’s game, talk about their other favorite players and hype him and the guys up for the next big game. Others, like Stetson, have no idea who these guys are. To them, they are the cool older kids who come to blow bubbles, make slime or play video games with them.

“I think either some of them are just, like, extremely happy, or some of them are really shy and they don’t know what to do. But they’re all great and we want them to feel comfortable around us,” said Kattus. “Even if they're a little bit shy, we just go sit there and spend time with them. I just want to let them know that we’re there for them and UK football is thinking about them.”

Kattus and his teammates stop and see a patient named Alex, who is fascinated by McGowan’s jewel-studded dental grill.

“Why are your teeth so sparkly?” Alex asks. The room erupts in laughter as McGowan leans closer so Alex can get a better look.

For Kattus, it’s not hard getting his teammates to volunteer to accompany him on these weekly visits. The pitch is simple: this is important. Come with me.

“I just say, ‘Hey, we’re going to the children's hospital,’” he said. “We’ve been blessed and we’re in a great situation. Let’s do what we can to give back to the Lexington community and to the kids.”

He admits it can be hard for him and his teammates to see kids in the hospital, grappling with a serious illness or injury that most people will never experience. But he knows those kids are tougher than him and his teammates. Through them, Kattus finds his strength.

“I just go in there and just want to put a smile on their face — that’s the goal,” he said. “I know it’s really hard, but ultimately it empowers me to see how they battle through these hard times. If they can do that, then we can do anything out there on the football field.”

“Josh has been such a positive light to pediatric cancer and blood disorder patients in the DanceBlue Clinic,” said Jordan Heflin, a nurse in the clinic. “He is a very consistent volunteer, coming almost every week for the past three years. He is always happy to sit and play with a kid, sign an autograph or take a picture. I am amazed at his commitment to bringing joy to these patients. Josh is a great football player, but I believe that he is an even better guy. I am so thankful that he continues to give back to these patients. A lot of the kids can’t go out to football games because of their treatments, but at least when they watch on TV, they can say that they know No. 84.”

After finishing their rounds in the DanceBlue Clinic, the guys head over to the main inpatient unit, where they meet young Carter wrapped in a cozy Spider-Man blanket.

“That looks really comfy,” said Rodriguez. “I wish I had one of those.”

After establishing that Carter is a UK fan and not a supporter of their rivals in Louisville, they all posed for a photo with their hands in a definitive “L’s down” position.

Kattus and his teammates have made some meaningful connections over the years. He formed a close bond with a young cancer patient, visiting him regularly over the course of his year of treatment. Kattus and the team were thrilled when they could feature him as the Lift Them Up Kid of the Game, a tradition where a KCH patient, escorted by the football team, marching and cheerleaders rolls into Kroger Field in a custom-built cart.

“It an unbelievable opportunity to get him to be the Lift Them Up kid on the Catwalk,” he said with a smile. “He got to do that at the Georgia game, which was such a big game. And it was just a lot of fun and getting to see a smile on his face and getting to lead us all down the catwalk. That brings a smile to my face and I’m just glad we can make an impact.”

As he looks back on his years volunteering at KCH, Kattus also looks ahead. He wants the younger players to carry on the tradition that Conrad and other football alumni have started. Even when his days at UK are behind him, unsure of what the future holds, Kattus knows that he will always want to give back to his community and help spread a little joy to those who need it most.

“I’ve already talked about it, whether I’m playing in the NFL or doing whatever,” he said. “I want to give back and make this an even bigger thing and a bigger priority in my life. Moving forward after football, whatever that is, that’s going to be a priority of mine.”