Buffs Junior Rakestraw Settling In At Safety
April 02, 2019 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Football instincts — the ability to read, react and make a play in a split second — are once again firing on all cylinders for Colorado junior Derrion Rakestraw.
Rakestraw, who came to Colorado as a wide receiver in 2016, is lining up at safety with the No. 1 defense alongside redshirt sophomore Isaiah Lewis this spring. It is his second spring at the position after making the switch in the fall of 2017, and while he did see action in seven games (262 snaps) last year in the secondary, he is just now feeling fully at home on the defensive side of the ball.
"I feel like I'm really comfortable with it now," Rakestraw said after Monday's practice, Colorado's fourth of the spring. "I was getting comfortable last season and thought I made some plays, but this spring I feel like I'm there. It's good to come out here and know what to do. It's not as much thinking, it's more just playing football."
Rakestraw did make some plays for the Buffs last year, first getting time in a reserve role, then starting two games near the end of the season. He recorded his first career interception in his first career start at Arizona (one of only four interceptions by Buffs defensive backs last year), and finished the year with 19 tackles, a pair of pass breakups, four third-down stops, three quarterback pressures and one tackle for loss.
Now, he is vying for a starting spot at a position that is wide open as both of CU's regular starters at safety last year, Nick Fisher and Evan Worthington, are gone. Rakestraw started spring ball with the No. 1 defense, and has done nothing to let the spot slip out of his hands.
"Derrion's worked extremely hard through the last 11 weeks," said defensive coordinator/safeties coach Tyson Summers. "He had a good fourth-quarter (conditioning) program, he finished well and is doing a good job of instilling his leadership into the safeties. You can tell he is starting to feel more comfortable doing that with the defense and he's one of our more confident guys with our calls and what we're doing and how we're adapting to the offense. I've been really proud of him to this point."
While Colorado's defense under new head coach Mel Tucker and his staff is still technically a base 3-4 scheme, there are more differences than similarities to the 3-4 scheme the Buffs played for the last several seasons. One big difference is that Summers expects his defense to read the offense as it lines up, then make calls to adjust.
That's where Rakestraw's offensive background comes in handy. After spending his first full year in Boulder playing wide receiver, he has a very good idea of what an offense might have in store.
"Playing wide receiver definitely helps," Rakestraw said. "I can read a receiver's stems, I know the route concepts, I can recognize formations, things like that. I understand what the receiver is doing and that definitely helps."
A big, physical player with good length, Rakestraw's 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame makes him well-suited for the safety spot. It's also a position he enjoys, as it allows him the opportunity to make plays in coverage as well as against the run.
"I was always a physical receiver, so it's a good fit for me," he said. "I think it's a good transition. I love playing the middle of the field because I can roam around, use my receiver skills and make plays on the ball. I always liked contact and I get the chance to do different things as a safety."
While Rakestraw and Lewis have been running with the No. 1 defense, it is a position that is by no means set. Former cornerback Trey Udoffia has made the move over to safety, and two players other players who will no doubt compete for starting spots, junior Aaron Maddox and sophomore Hasaan Hypolite, are both out this spring with injuries.
It means fall camp will be a competitive one — but the players who are getting some time this spring are getting some valuable reps while also becoming familiar with the pace and tempo that CU's new coaching staff demands.
"Coach Summers has taught us a lot already about intensity and the speed we need to be going at in practice if we're going to win games," Rakestraw said. "I think that's the biggest thing about this whole staff. It's faster and there's more accountability. The coaches are on us all the time, they're running to the ball with us — it's more intense. It's easier to do it when you know the coaches are doing it right along with you."
That atmosphere and approach is by design.
"It's a big part of what we do overall in our program, teaching, and how we try to function within our defense," Summers said. "I think certainly the intensity that it takes to practice at a high level of defense is going to help us as we try to go play at a high level. If you look at our conference, the teams that are playing the best defense are the teams that are playing in the championship each and every year. We want to be in that position."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
