Position: CB/S
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 190
Hometown: Houston, Tx
High School: Stratford HS
Year: RS Freshman
The Hoos only pull recruits out of Texas once in a while. While this isn't surprising, it is somewhat disappointing considering the amount of HS football talent that comes out of Texas every year. Rainey joins Zachary Swanson as the only Texans on the team. The last Texan other than those two was Riko Smalls, who didn't last very long. Prior to that, we have to go all the way back to Ian-Yates Cunningham.
Rainey was not heavily recruited by the big Texas schools. He did have offers from Rice and SMU, and was looked at, at least initially, by Texas Tech and Texas A&M. He was ranked a 2 star S by ESPN, and a 3 star CB by Rivals and Scout. He played mostly S in HS, although he did move around a bit. He was recruited by the Hoos to play CB.
At 6'1" and nearly 200 pounds, Rainey is a different CB than most of what the Hoos have. Only sophomore Maurice Canady has that kind of height, and he's not as big. This could give Rainey a chance that the others may not get. He can cover bigger, more physical WRs more ably than the smaller CBs can. While has shown the ability to make a bit hit, he is far from a sure tackler and would likely be a liability in run support.
On the current depth chart, Rainey is a backup SS. This may be largely due to his experience. He's big enough to play S, and since he hasn't played much man, he wouldn't get a chance to play CB this year, as coach Tenuta wants to play more man coverage. The safeties are still likely to playing a lot of zone, be it Cover-2 or Cover-1. This fits Rainey's profile better.
In another year or so, perhaps Rainey develops enough man coverage experience to play some CB in certain matchups. Of course, with a guy like Tim Harris (a big, natural CB) in the fold, Rainey may not get that chance either.
Listed as the primary backup to Anthony Harris, Rainey figures to get some PT on defense. That may come as an extra DB in substitution defenses. Beyond that, Rainey will get some run on special teams. His size could make him effective as a blocker on returns and also as a rusher against punts or FGs.