Texas CB Ennis Rakestraw picks Missouri

Six months ago, Ennis Rakestraw didn't hold a Power 5 offer.

In that span of time, however, the three-star cornerback from Dallas-area powerhouse Duncanville has emerged as one of the most sought-after defenders in the entire country.

Rakestraw made the most of his abbreviated recruitment and made the call to commit and sign with Missouri on National Signing Day. The Tigers edged out local favorite Texas and Alabama for the talented cornerback.

"I was expecting an offer from Missouri," Rakestraw told Rivals earlier this year. "One of my teammates from my junior year (2018) went to Missouri and they keep asking about me -- how I do, asking if I'm a good kid, a hard-working kid and they have been asking him every other day. It means a lot and I care about who keeps it 100 with me no matter what."

Rakestraw entered his senior season without a Power 5 offer, but enjoyed a breakout season in which he effectively contained some of the top wide receivers in the Dallas region and nationally. That included primetime showdowns with five-stars Rakim Jarrett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Rivals100 junior Quay Davis, in which Rakestraw proved he could go head-to-head with elite competition.

Texas was an offer Rakestraw was anticipating. It came a bit later after the Alabamas and Georgias of the world, but that was due to the late addition of Jay Valai to Tom Herman's staff. The Longhorns have an established Duncanville-to-Austin pipeline which Rakestraw's teammate, Ja'Quinden Jackson, headlined in the 2020 class. The final official visit to The Forty Acres inserted Texas squarely as one of the favorites leading into the decision.

Alabama was among the eye-catching offers for Rakestraw and I'm told the Nick Saban factor played out in a big way here. Saban's track record with outstanding college and NFL defensive backs was intriguing to Rakestraw and the official visit followed by persistence from the entire Alabama staff was a major power play.

Missouri was among the first Power 5 schools to pull the trigger on Rakestraw, which makes sense given that the Tigers landed defensive back Stacy Brown out of Duncanville a year ago. That connection was critical as Rakestraw evaluated all of his new options, but Missouri held a unique advantage by offering in October -- about two months before the rest of the teams in contention -- paired with a motivated push by first-year coach Eliah Drinkwitz throughout January and into Signing Day.

Rakestraw was a cover corner that emerged after a breakout senior campaign for Class 6A runner-up Duncanville, which per usual, plays an arduous gauntlet of schools throughout the season. That opened up a door for Rakestraw, a 6-foot, 170-pound defensive back with excellent speed and overage skills, to show that he could hold his own against a talented coup of receivers.

An unknown commodity as recently as August, Rakestraw showed out against the receivers he lined up across this fall. That includes Rakim Jarrett, a five-star that signed with Maryland; Jaxon Smith-Njigba, a five-star that signed with Ohio State. He held the two to a combined 10 catches for 72 yards and on the season, did not allow a single touchdown.

While Rakestraw is not the biggest cornerback and needs to further develop his frame, there are far less questions about his game. Rakestraw is not afraid to be physical with receivers in coverage. He’s a disciplined cover corner with excellent footwork and good anticipation and has enough speed to effectively shadow receivers downfield.

Rakestraw managed a pick-six in 2019 and multiple passes defensed on the year. He consistently plays the ball and can hold his own in red-zone and goal-line situations. He keeps plays in front of him and is a sure tackler in the open field.