Why Rakeem Cato may be the next great long shot Heisman hopeful
Jordan Lynch's 2013 Heisman bid went from an adorable story about a Northern Illinois senior standing on the outside of the national spotlight to a near reality when he finished third in voting this past December. Lynch beat up on MAC competition to the tune of 4,812 total yards and 47 touchdowns. and earned the type of recognition that's normally reserved for the elite offensive talents residing in the power conferences. Lynch entered the 2013 season with 50/1 odds to win the Heisman Trophy. To finish third behind Jameis Winston and AJ McCarron was quite a feat for the two-time MAC Offensive Player of the Year.
With Lynch out of the picture, we look forward to finding the next great long shot Heisman hopeful. One player to keep an eye on is Marshall quarterback Rakeem Cato.
Like Lynch, Cato is facing the steepest of odds to walk away with college football's most recognized individual award; Bovada currently shades the Marshall junior with 66/1 odds to win the Heisman. Cato led C-USA in pass attempts, completions, completion percentage, passing yards, passing touchdowns, passer efficiency rating, and total plays in 2012. Although Cato's completion rate dropped by nearly 10 whole percentage points in 2013, he still threw for more touchdowns, less interceptions, and fell just 285 yards short of matching his career-best mark of 4,201 from 2012. He actually bettered his passer efficiency rating last season, though.
Part of Cato's dip in completion rate can be chalked up to the bump in competition the Thundering Herd faced in 2013. Virginia Tech stymied Cato's passing game in an October loss, and the surprisingly stiff pass defenses of Florida Atlantic, Middle Tennessee State, and Rice held Marshall's aerial attack in check as well. The Thundering Herd's non-conference schedule does not pit them against a defense quite as tough as that of Virginia Tech. Marshall will face Miami (OH), Ohio, Akron, and Rhode Island in 2014.
Cato helped lead Marshall to its first 10-win season since 2002. Although he saw a slight dip in a couple of counting stat categories, the Thundering Herd's offense improved in 2014. Marshall finished eighth in the country in total yards with 7,005. It was the first season in which offensive coordinator Bill Legg also worked as quarterbacks coach. It's safe to say that Cato and co. found some comfort in his option scheme on offense. Filling holes at wide receiver has been a point of focus for Legg and head coach Doc Holliday on the recruiting path this winter. With slot receiver Tommy Shuler (106 receptions, 1,165 yards, and 10 touchdowns) back in the fold for 2014, to boot, a dearth of receiver options for Cato will not be an issue next season.
Another area of opportunity for Cato, a scrambler by nature, is in the ground game. He's never been much of a runner, but Cato did put up a career-best 294 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 99 carries last year. Not that anyone should expect him to put up Lynch-esque rushing numbers at quarterback, but he's shown improvement in his ability to escape the pocket.
The probability of Cato winning the Heisman next season is minimal. It's almost impossible. Still, he's an exciting quarterback with an accurate arm who plays in a conference that should allow him to put up his usual eye-popping numbers. Marshall is a team on the rise, and Rakeem Cato is worth keeping an eye on as a fringe Heisman candidate for 2014.