Stanford transfer outside linebacker David Bailey committed to Texas Tech, sources told ESPN on Friday.
Bailey, a 6-foot-3, 250-pound pass rusher who entered the portal as a graduate transfer March 28, joins a Red Raiders squad that is chasing a Big 12 title and College Football Playoff run by assembling one of the top transfer recruiting classes in college football.
A former Freshman All-American, Bailey chose Texas Tech after also visiting Texas and UCLA. He entered the portal days after Stanford fired coach Troy Taylor and immediately became the top player available in the portal ahead of the upcoming spring transfer window.
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Bailey totaled 111 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks over his three seasons with the Cardinal and has one more season of eligibility in 2025. He was the No. 122-ranked recruit in the ESPN 300 for 2022 and immediately became a starter as a true freshman, earning Freshman All-America recognition after recording 8.5 tackles for loss in his debut season.
Texas Tech is looking to build upon an 8-5 record in coach Joey McGuire’s third season by chasing the program’s first Big 12 title. The Red Raiders signed 17 transfers in December, investing more than $10 million to assemble ESPN’s No. 2-ranked portal class.
They’ve now added two of the top outside linebackers on the market in Bailey and Georgia Tech transfer Romello Height. The Red Raiders brought in four more top-75 players in ESPN’s transfer rankings — former UCF defensive tackle Lee Hunter, North Carolina offensive lineman Howard Sampson, Illinois State offensive lineman Hunter Zambrano and Miami (Ohio) wide receiver Reggie Virgil.
