Texas Tech announced the signing of Stanford transfer David Bailey, further bolstering its defensive front with the highest-rated returning edge player in the country according to Pro Football Focus.
Bailey will play his final collegiate season as a Red Raider after starring at Stanford where he made 111 tackles, including an impressive 22.5 that went for a loss and 14.5 sacks. Bailey, who was a true freshman All-American with the Cardinal in 2022, received a 90.9 overall grade by PFF for the 2024 season, which ranked sixth nationally. He graded slightly behind Penn State's Abdul Carter, who is projected to be among the first picks in this month's NFL Draft.
"David Bailey is one of the best defensive players in the country, and we're excited he's officially a Red Raider," head coach Joey McGuire said. "David is great addition to what I believe is already one of the best front sevens in the country. We're looking forward to having him join our program and add to the culture we are building around this team."
Bailey is coming off a 2024 junior season where he made 31 tackles, including 8.0 for a loss with 7.0 of those being sacks. He frequently disrupted opposing offenses as PFF credited him with 39 total pressures on the season as he combined 7.0 sacks with six quarterback hits and 26 additional hurries, grading out at 93.2 as a pass rusher, which led the FBS.
Bailey was fourth in the FBS with five forced fumbles during the 2024 season, giving him seven for his career after knocking loose two others as a true freshman in 2022. Bailey was tabbed a true freshman All-American by 247Sports that season after notching 46 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks to go along with his two forced fumbles. He appeared in 33 games during his Stanford career, making 16 starts during that span.
Bailey, a native of Irvine, California, signed with Stanford out of Mater Dei High School as a four-star prospect and one of the top-50 recruits in the country by 247Sports and On3. Bailey helped lead Mater Dei to a No. 1 national ranking as a senior in 2021 and a victory in the California State Championship Open Division to wrap a perfect 12-0 season.
Bailey adds to what is projected to be Texas Tech's best defensive front in years as the Red Raiders already signed the likes of defensive tackles Lee Hunter, Skyler Gill-Howard and Anthony Holmes Jr. this offseason as well as fellow outside linebacker Romello Height. That group adds to a talented core of returners for the Red Raiders such as E'Maurion Banks, Jayden Cofield, Amier Washington in the middle and then Charles Esters III and Isaac Smith, among others, on the edge.
