Texas Football: 3 biggest National Signing Day recruiting misses

Since the 2020 Texas football recruiting class landed the commitment of, and signed, four-star Cedar Creek strong-side defensive end Alfred Collins on Feb. 5, missing out on Umanmielen wasn’t as important as the final name on this list. Since the Longhorns recovered well along the defensive line after losing out on Umanmielen, they can deal with it just fine.

However, losing out on the commitment of the late riser and three-star Duncanville 6-foot and 170 pound cornerback Ennis Rakestraw hurt a lot. Texas’ new defensive coordinator Ash is going to need more lengthy and physical ball hawking cornerbacks that can fit into his new scheme on the Forty Acres.

And Rakestraw would’ve been the perfect under-the-radar fit if the Longhorns were to land him on National Signing Day. He ranked as the nation’s No. 893 2020 high school prospect and the No. 69 cornerback. His recruiting ranking didn’t show the true value he could bring to the table for the Longhorns secondary.

However, the quality of programs that were pursuing him in the weeks leading up to National Signing Day shows what type of skill set he brings to the table in college. The Alabama Crimson Tide, Georgia Bulldogs, Michigan State Spartans, and Miami Hurricanes were just four of the big time college programs that jumped into the sweepstakes to land Rakestraw later on.

But the Longhorns former Big 12 foe Mizzou Tigers wound up hauling in the commitment of Rakestraw early on National Signing Day and quickly saw his letter of intent officially signed.