On Friday, Stanford outside linebacker/edge rusher David Bailey officially entered the transfer portal following the news of head coach Troy Taylor being fired. Bailey is completing his degree from Stanford, making him a graduate transfer.
In his three years on The Farm, Bailey played in 32 games, totaling 111 tackles (73 solo), 23 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, and seven forced fumbles. This past season, he had 31 total tackles (22 solo), eight tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks, and five forced fumbles.
Listed at 6’3”, 250 pounds, Bailey has great size, athleticism, and speed. He is a tremendously gifted pass rusher and when he’s on, he is very difficult for opposing offenses to stop. His biggest problem has been consistency. If he can learn how to be more consistent, that would really take his game to another level.
Regarding what this means for Stanford, this is obviously a big loss. Bailey has been one of the most talented players in the program. Especially on defense. When in peak form, Bailey simply possesses abilities that nobody else on the team has. Just in terms of his ability to get after the quarterback and make plays in the backfield.
As far as where he’s most likely to land, two schools have come up as the most likely destinations for him: UCLA and USC. Sources I've spoken to think UCLA is the front runner. He’s from Southern California, so a return home would make sense. NIL is also said to be a major factor here, so whoever lands him will need to make a good offer on that front.
UPDATE: Bailey has committed to Texas Tech. He visited earlier in the week. The Red Raiders came out of the blue on this, but they clearly must have given him a nice NIL offer.
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