Editor’s note: Find more awards from The Dallas Morning News at the conclusion of this story.
After Duncanville lost the 2018 state championship game on a Hail Mary touchdown pass on the final play, Ennis Rakestraw Jr. suffered more heartbreak.
The three-star cornerback tried to attend an Under Armour camp with several teammates and was the only one turned away.
“Coach [Reginald] Samples called me and said that they said I was too small to be let into the camp,” said the 6-1, 170-pound Rakestraw. “I got in the car, I cried, and I made sure that any All-American, anybody that stepped in front of me, I was going to make them pay.”
A player who entered his senior season with no offers from Power 5 schools is now one of the most coveted cornerback recruits in the nation. After Duncanville’s season ended on Dec. 21 with a second straight loss to Galena Park North Shore in the Class 6A Division I state title game (31-17 this time), Rakestraw received offers from Kansas, Connecticut, Michigan State, Baylor, Miami, Georgia, Arkansas and South Carolina.
Then on Tuesday, he announced on Twitter that he had received an offer from a school that has won five of the last 10 national championships.
“Extremely blessed to receive an offer from my DREAM school The University of Alabama,” Rakestraw tweeted.
It didn’t end there, as he announced an offer from Texas three days later.
“My phone is still blowing up,” Rakestraw said. “When you get one big offer, then all the schools want to try to get you.
“I feel like the chip on my shoulder that I’ve had for quite a while, for not being allowed into the Under Armour camp, that really fueled this.”
Rakestraw had only three offers — from Grambling State, Air Force and Army — before he started running track for the first time last spring. He quickly showed that he had the speed to keep up with elite wide receivers, winning a junior varsity district title in the 200 meters with a time of 22.98 seconds and winning JV district titles with football teammates Ja’Quinden Jackson, Chris Thompson Jr. and Roderick Daniels in the 4x100 relay (42.98) and 4x200 relay (1:30.28).
“My coaches said all the colleges looking at me, they want to see my track times,” Rakestraw said. “I stepped out of my comfort zone.”
Rakestraw was in his comfort zone when he was matched up in one-on-one coverage against the opponent’s best receiver. He didn’t allow a touchdown pass all season, and he shut down two All-Americans.
Facing the No. 2-ranked receiver in the nation, Rakestraw held five-star Maryland signee Rakim Jarrett of Washington, D.C. St. John’s to five catches for 36 yards in a 35-14 victory. In the state semifinals, Rakestraw limited the nation’s No. 5-ranked receiver — four-star Ohio State signee Jaxon Smith-Njigba of Rockwall — to five catches for 37 yards in Duncanville’s 56-14 rout.
“I played corner in college, and I know what it takes. I wish I had half of some of the stuff that he has,” said Duncanville defensive coordinator John Towels, who played at Langston University in Oklahoma. “He has great ball skills, and he plays fast. The biggest thing that the successful corners have, that he has, is the attitude. He doesn’t feel that anybody can beat him. He has supreme confidence that he can play anyone.”
Twitter: @DMNGregRiddle
Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
Position: Cornerback
Height, weight: 6-1, 170
About Rakestraw: He had 30 solo tackles, 15 pass breakups and one interception for a 15-1 team that was the Class 6A Division I state runner-up. ... He plans to major in journalism and hopes to become a sports analyst. ... His favorite NFL player is the Browns’ Odell Beckham Jr., and his favorite cornerback is the Rams’ Jalen Ramsey. ... He’s a big video game player and said, “I can play Madden from sunrise to sundown.” His favorite team on Madden? “The New Orleans Saints. Just throw it to Mike Thomas.”
What’s next? The uncommitted three-star recruit has 25 offers, including two schools — Georgia and Baylor — that are ranked in the top 10 in the nation. Rakestraw has set up official visits to Missouri (Jan. 17), Alabama (Jan. 24) and Georgia (Jan. 31) so far. He might wait to sign on national signing day, which is Feb. 5, but he said, “As I go on these visits, if I feel like it’s the school for me, I’m just going to go ahead and commit.”
Recent winners
| Year | Player | Position | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Brian Williams | S | Bishop Dunne |
| 2017 | Jalen Catalon | S | Mansfield Legacy |
| 2016 | Anthony Hines III | LB | Plano East |
| 2015 | Levi Onwuzurike | DE | Allen |
| 2014 | James Lockhart | DE | Ennis |
