Rakestraw contributes at safety with starter Worthington out

BOULDER» Derrion Rakestraw is in his third year at the University of Colorado, yet it has only been this fall that he feels as though he has found a home with the Buffaloes.

Rakestraw has found Boulder welcoming enough. It is on the gridiron where the third-year sophomore has lived an unsettled existence. Recruited as a wide receiver out of Woodstock, Ga., Rakestraw has twice changed positions before finding his way into the rotation this season at safety.

While it has been a rough few weeks for CU’s injury-depleted secondary, Rakestraw provided one of the few highlights for the Buffs defense last week at Arizona, taking advantage of his first career start in place of injured strong safety Evan Worthington to record his first interception at a critical juncture.

Worthington’s status remains uncertain as he goes through the concussion protocol. If Worthington is unable to go against the pass-happy offense of No. 10 Washington State Saturday at Folsom Field (1:30 p.m., ESPN), Rakestraw is eager for the challenge.

“It definitely felt good to get my feet wet, getting in on some of those plays and just being around my teammates on the field,” Rakestraw said. “It felt good to be out there. At this point, I’m more comfortable at safety than I was at receiver when I got here my freshman year. I feel good with it. I know what I’m doing. And know all the calls and stuff like that and I’ve gotten very comfortable.”

Rakestraw redshirted as a true freshman in 2016, practicing the entire season at wide receiver. With the Buffs well-stocked at receiver, and given Rakestraw had excelled on both sides of the ball in high school, he was moved to cornerback at the outset of fall camp a year ago.

He played predominantly on special teams in 2017 with an eye on making an impact in the secondary this season. Yet with the Buffs depth at defensive back tilted toward the cornerbacks, Rakestraw again switched positions, this time moving to safety.

Rakestraw has taken each switch in stride.

“It’s been tough to kind of start over at every position,” Rakestraw said. “I just put my head down. Kept working. Listened to the coaches and just tried to get better every day. I’m out here doing it now. I’m older, more experienced. I’ve played receiver, corner and safety now, so I kind of have a feel for everything. I know what I’m doing out here now.”

The Buffs’ defense has struggled without Worthington, but Rakestraw attempted to fill the void against Arizona with a ca- reer-best seven tackles as well as his first interception. Rakestraw grabbed his pick at the CU 31-yard line with the Buffs trailing by eight with under eight minutes left.

“I thought he did well for his first time,” CU coach Mike MacIntyre said. “He should have had a pick that hit him right in the chest that would have been a big play for us. They ended up going down and scoring on that drive. When the ball hits you in the hands, you’ve got to catch it, especially in tight games. Overall, for his first time playing, I thought he played well.”