Junior Day Report: Bailey McElwain
No one who attended Stanford's early-April Junior Day weekend was more familiar with the Cardinal program than 2017 fullback commit Bailey McElwain. McElwain, who has reclassified from the 2016 class and intends to enroll at Stanford next summer, has been been committed the program since June. The Junior Day trip was his fourth to The Farm - he previously visited for a camp last summer, the Cal game and an official visit in January.
"It went great," McElwain said. "It's always good to get back out there. It feels great. It's always a great atmosphere. I think I learn something new every time I go out, so it excites me every time."
"I had never been to a Junior Day at Stanford, actually. So I saw a little bit more than the regular stuff they showed on I guess you say your game day visit and official visit. I saw some different stuff. I got to see more of the athletic facilities - I went to a baseball game - I hadn't done that before. We saw a variety of sports, like water polo, we met a bunch of those girls. Just some really cool sports out there."
Among the highlights of McElwain's trip was the Saturday morning practice. He was impressed with what he saw from the Cardinal's 2016 team.
"I liked watching the scrimmage, seeing what we're working with this year," McElwain said. "We look great. I liked the team coming back. It's really not a different team - we graduate a lot of guys, but a lot of guys are stopping up. And we were great - I like how we look this year."
The visit also afforded McElwain the opportunity to continue to develop his relationship with his position coach, Lance Taylor.
"I spent a lot of time with Coach Taylor, my position coach, and got to sit in on meetings with him," McElwain said. "He and I had a couple of meetings together watching film and discussing what my plans are coming up here, stuff like that. It was good."
McElwain spent a good chunk of the weekend hanging out with fellow Alabama native Ryan Johnson, a four-star defensive line recruit in in attendance, as well as Stanford running back pledge Sione Lund. He's also been in touch with fellow Cardinal 2017 commit Stuart Head and defensive back Elijah Molden.
McElwain is currently winding down his high school career. He has a few more weeks of high school left, then it's on to the next step, enrolling for a postgrad year at Lake Forest Academy in Illinois.
"I have a couple more weeks of school left in my senior year, so I'm just trying to finish strong, strong grades," McElwain said. "And then I have the whole summer here in Trussville. August 6 is my report date for Lake Forest, so I'll go there around the beginning of August. We start camp and we'll have our first game about two weeks after I move in, so it's moving fast."
Prior to starting at Lake Forest, McElwain will partake in a summer full of football in Alabama.
"I'm going to help coach our team back here," McElwain said. "I plan to be really involved with that and further my education of the game, really. From a coaching aspect you can really learn some stuff that you've never seen before playing, so I think that will help me a lot. And really take the time to work out better my game, get stronger, faster, bigger. So I think it will be a good opportunity for me."