When Missouri cornerback Nic DeLoach committed to Missouri in June 2022 he had played some defensive back at Cahokia High Schol (Ill.) but mainly played wide receiver.
Fast forward a year later and he would find himself at the bottom of the cornerback depth chart, trying to adjust from high school star to a freshman newcomer learning the nuances of the position.
Fortunately for him, he got to learn from the team’s two former star cornerbacks turned NFL draftees, Ennis Rakestraw and Kris Abrams-Draine.
"It's very humbling because you're the best player, you're just used to being that guy," DeLoach said. "But you get here and everybody is that guy. So, you've got to sit back and wait your turn.
"Since I redshirted last year, I was just focusing on learning from those guys. They're both NFL guys. It was exciting to watch their technique. Ennis' aggression always -- their effort at practice every day, I've never seen them slack. So, I just copied them and took notes."
DeLoach said he still talks to the NFLers and after a season of working behind them, he used what he learned from them to push him this offseason. Even if that meant using his free time to be studying film or be in the gym, DeLoach prepared for this moment where he could compete to be in the rotation.
"Just not taking any days off," DeLoach said. "Even on our off days, I just stayed in the indoor facilities getting in extra work or I'd watch the old clips from practice or games from last year of KAD and Ennis trying to copy their techniques."
Entering fall camp, it appeared as if Drey Norwood and Toriano Pride would be locked in as the starters with Marcus Clarke moving up from CB4 to CB3.
However, during the first two weeks of fall camp, DeLoach has been splitting first-team reps with Pride, and his progress hasn't gone unnoticed.
Head coach Eli Drinkwitz has been impressed by what he's seen from DeLoach and said the confidence the redshirt freshman needs to play the position has crept in.
"He's a really good athlete. He can run, he's very smart and is an instinctual player," Drinkwitz said. "He just doesn't have a ton of confidence because he hasn't had to do it on the main stage, but like we've told him if you can cover Theo Wease, Mookie Cooper, Luther Burden, Mekhi Miller, Joshua Manning, and Marquis Johnson, you can cover anybody. So, I think that has built his confidence.
"I think your confidence comes from your preparation. If you're unsure of how to prepare and perform in big settings -- a lot of the stuff that we were teaching him was new. He'd never done it before. He has always just kind of been a natural athlete, a three-sport player and now he's embraced the fundamentals and techniques that we're coaching."
DeLoach agrees with his coach and when he compares himself to who he was a year ago he sees the difference Drinkwitz is talking about.
"I just became more confident and trusted the coaching," DeLoach said. "Last year, I really used to rely on my athleticism but I learned how to trust my technique and trust my coaching."
DeLoach said wide receiver Daniel Blood is his favorite receiver to match up with in practice because of how shifty and elusive Blood is in the slot.
Like Drinkwitz, Blood has noticed the year-to-year improvements of his fellow class of 2023 teammate.
"(I've seen) a lot of improvement," Blood said. "I knew in high school, he was playing mostly at receiver. So, he switched to defensive back. So, seeing that improvement from switching to DB is amazing. His patience has gotten better (and) his hand combat has gotten better."
DeLoach said the only goal he has for himself this season is proving to his teammates and coaches why he deserves to be on the field. So far, he's doing that and it looks like he has a shot to start come Aug. 29 when Mizzou hosts Murray State in the season opener.
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