Assistant coach Derham Cato is entering his third year on Missouri’s staff and his second season serving as the program’s tight end coach. Cato arrived in Columbia after coaching stops at Maine, Washington, Davidson, Vanderbilt and his alma mater, Dartmouth.
In 2024, Cato helped coach tight end Brett Norfleet to a sophomore season in which he hauled in 26 receptions for 235 yards and a pair of touchdowns, ranking third on the squad in receptions and touchdowns while accumulating the fourth-most receiving yards on the team.
After taking over a tight end unit that combined for just 10 receptions, 112 yards a pair of touchdowns in 2022, Cato helped more than double the unit’s production in 2023 as rising freshman Brett Norfleet became the offensive focal point at the position. He logged 18 receptions for 197 yards and three touchdowns, earning SEC All-Freshman Team honors.
Before a brief stint at Maine, Cato served as the tight ends coach at the University of Washington during the 2020 and 2021 seasons after spending four seasons as an offensive analyst with the program. While with the Huskies, Cato mentored All Pac-12 first team tight end Cade Otton who earned an invite to the Senior Bowl before being selected in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. Under his guidance in 2021, Washington's tight end unit accounted for 55 receptions and 527 yards to go along with a pair of touchdowns. In 2016, the Huskies ranked fourth in the final College Football Playoff poll a year before finishing as the No. 16 ranked team in the 2017 final Associated Press poll. The 2016 offense at Washington checked in fourth in the nation in points per game (44.5) and 22nd in total yards (477.2).
Prior to his time at Washington, Cato spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons on staff at Davidson. Cato joined the program in 2014 as the offensive line and tight ends coach while overseeing recruiting efforts as the teams recruiting coordinator. After serving in that role for one season, Cato was promoted to offensive coordinator while still coaching the offensive line. Under his guidance, the team increased its rushing yards per game from 88.2 to 142.8 while nearly cutting its sacks allowed in half from 2013 to 2014.
During the 2011-13 seasons, Cato performed as an offensive and defensive graduate assistant at Vanderbilt where he worked with the defensive line unit in 2011 and 2012 before assisting with the offensive line in 2013. During his stint at Vanderbilt, the Commodores earned three-straight trips to Bowl Games for the first time in school history.
Cato began his collegiate coaching career at Dartmouth College where he spent the 2010 season as the tight ends coach and strength and conditioning coach.
Cato graduated from Dartmouth in 2005 with a bachelor of arts degree in government with a focus on international relations before earning his master's in education, leadership and organization from Vanderbilt. While at Dartmouth, Cato was a four-year letterwinner and three-year defensive line starter for the Big Green. Following his collegiate playing career, Cato went on to play professionally for the Manchester Wolves of the Arena Football 2 League, the Frankfurt Galaxy of the NFL Europe League, the Nashville Kates of the Arena Football League, and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.
