Richmond Roughriders sign former Marshall, CFL quarterback Rakeem Cato

The Richmond Roughriders of the AAL have signed former Marshall University standout and Montreal Alouettes quarterback Rakeem Cato.
Cato was the starting quarterback for the Marshall Thundering Herd from 2011 to 2014. At Marshall, Cato completed 62.7 percent of his passes for 14,079 yards, 131 touchdowns, 44 interceptions, and an average of 265.6 passing yards per game.

He also scrambled for 839 yards and 15 touchdowns. In 2012, he won the Conference USA MVP. In 2013, he was in the running for the Sammy Baugh award, he was on the watchlist for the Maxwell Award and Manning Award, as well as being the MVP of the Military Bowl victory over Maryland.

In 2014, Cato threw a touchdown pass in his 39th consecutive game, breaking Russell Wilson's FBS record for most consecutive games with at least one touchdown pass. He broke the school record with 14,079 yards passing and 131 passing touchdowns.

Cato went undrafted in the 2015 NFL Draft, despite being ranked by some scouts and even Mel Kiper, Jr. as the eighth best quarterback in the draft. He was invited to the Cleveland Browns camp as a tryout but was not signed.

He was signed by the Montreal Alouettes to a two-year deal on May 16, 2015. After playing in 22 games overall, he was later released on Feb 6, 2017. Cato completed 68.6 percent of his passes for 3,570 yards, 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, along with 334 rushing yards and one touchdown.

What are some expectations to have for Cato? He will play behind a good offensive line that includes D'Angleo McCray who was a 2017 Second Team All-IFL lineman and Mitchell Bell who is a former Oakland Raider. Cato will also throw to veteran stud wide receiver Damond Powell, who was First Team All-IFL in 2017 and led the IFL in touchdowns (22), and yards per catch. Cato should finish with 1,500 passing yards and 31 passing touchdowns.