Rakeem Cato: The Best College QB You’ve Never Heard Of

You’ll probably hear plenty over the next few months about the top returning QBs in college football.  Guys like Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, Braxton Miller, and Bryce Petty will probably grab a lot of headlines, but a QB in Huntington, WV may be as good as any of them.  Rakeem Cato is a name you’ll want to watch in 2014.

Marshall University is no stranger to great quarterback play having produced first round draft picks Chad Pennington and Byron Leftwich as well former NFL QB Eric Kresser.  Pennington and Leftwich are in a class of their own in the minds of Marshall fans as well as in the school’s record books.  Cato is well on his way to joining those two on the Mount Rushmore of Marshall quarterbacks.  Statistically, he is on pace to break school records, held by Pennington and Leftwich, for TD passes, completions, and passing yardage.  Considering the gaudy stats those two put up in Marshall’s pass heavy offense around the turn of the millennium, that’s not bad for a skinny kid from inner city Miami that had only two college scholarship offers.

OK, so school records for a Conference USA school do not impress you?  Well, Cato compares favorably to many of the aforementioned stars in college football.  Cato produced more total touchdowns last year than Mariota, Miller, Winston, and recent first round NFL Draft picks Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater.  Speaking of Bridgewater, he and Cato go way back having played against each other growing up in South Florida.  Rakeem Cato has never lost to Bridgewater including beating Louisville on the road as a true freshman where he threw a game winning touchdown pass inside of two minutes to go in the fourth quarter. 

Two years ago, Cato was a one-dimensional player in a one-dimensional offense.  He had an outstanding year, but he was called on to throw on nearly every offensive play.  He put up huge passing numbers but was not a threat to run the ball.  In 2013, Cato made huge strides in his game.  As he got stronger and more comfortable with the offense, he was unafraid to run the football when the pass wasn’t there.  As a result, he added nearly 300 yards on the ground and six TDs to go along with his almost 4000 passing yards and 39 TDs despite being relied upon to throw the ball less.  Cato was also given increased responsibility in the offense.  The coaches have allowed him to call plays at the line based on what he sees in the defense, and the coaches have praised his decision making in that regard.

2014 is shaping up to be a big year for Cato and the Thundering Herd.  Unfortunately, they lack a big name opponent after Louisville had to reschedule their date in Huntington after they moved to the ACC.  On the plus side, a real possibility exists for Marshall to run the table.  Something Marshall hasn’t done since Pennington led Marshall to a number 10 national ranking after the Herd’s second undefeated season in four years in 1999.  A little preseason Heisman buzz has started for Cato in the national press.  It would be a near impossibility for him to win, but if his team can get the job done this year he may join Pennington and Randy Moss on Marshall’s list of Heisman Trophy Finalists.  He may not generate a great deal of NFL buzz, but keep on eye on Cato this year.  He’s the best QB you’ve never heard of.

-Andy