FTR, My son is a pitcher and threw all four years in HS to the #11 pick in the 2105 draft , who is a catcher. A recent prospect ranking on him mentioned improving his defensive skills/throwdowns as a focus. He threw to another guy in college who was drafted by the same MLB team as his HS catcher. Both are prospects in their system. We also have close friends who have son who is catcher at a very good D1 school. Disclaimer: I am not a catching coach or catching skills aficionado.
From what i've seen, college coaches care about catchers who can hit. The defensive catcher has traditionally taken a backseat to the catcher who has less defending skills but who can rake. Excelling in receiving the ball doesn't get you a scholarship or drafted.