Is Harrison Bailey the next man up in the revolution of Freshmen Quarterbacks?

On November 29th of 2018, at the Marietta High School Performing Arts Center, Harrison Bailey committed to the University of Tennessee. On that day, a legend was born within the Tennessee fan base. However, it was still a little over 13 months away from when he would ever step foot on campus in Knoxville as a student-athlete. Bailey immediately became the cornerstone of Jeremy Pruitt's 2020 class, a class that was tasked with restoring the program to its former glory.

Fans and media alike immediately reacted to the impact Bailey could have on Tennessee's program in the future. This speaks volumes to the caliber of player that Bailey was even coming out of his junior season, and the potential that he has to grow as a player. On that day, his personal quarterback coach, Tony Ballard, who is the founder of Hustle Inc. 7v7, the lead quarterback's coach at FBU, a former Florida A&M quarterback, and multiple other titles told me, "I would say that as a passer he is as good as it gets. His physical stature stands out, his arm strength is there, and I think he can make any throw at any level. The film doesn't lie. Just go look at what he has done on film against some of the top teams in the country. He is as tough as they get." Ballard added on one thing that sets Bailey apart is his natural instincts at the quarterback position by saying, "one thing that I think Harrison has over a lot of kids is that he is a football junkie. He studies everybody's tendencies, he understands exactly where to go with the football, and I think 90% of the battle is done when you understand at pre-snap what that coverage looks like, and he just automatically gets the ball. I think that his ability to be a competitor is what really takes over him throughout games. When you look at how much he has been hit, he is a flat out warrior. He is as tough as it gets."

Nobody saw more of that potential in him than Jeremy Pruitt, who was the ultimate factor in his decision to choose Tennessee. On that day in November, Bailey told me, "If you know anything about me, you know I like to build stuff around me. I feel like going to Tennessee, I can be me, and I can play right away. Coach Pruitt did most of my recruitment, and he is a great person and coach." This was a bond that Pruitt and the Bailey family would continue to grow throughout the next 13 months and his senior season at Marietta until he signed his National Letter of Intent during the Early Signing Period.

Bailey would finish his career at Marietta with over 11,000 yards through the air and 115 touchdowns. Bailey’s senior season saw him compile almost 5,000 yards through the air and 50 touchdowns. It also ended with a state championship and a win in the Geico Bowl Series in Las Vegas. This season helped to place even more lofty expectations on Bailey as he prepared for his next step at Tennessee. He was deemed by a large portion of the fan base as the guy who would elevate Tennessee to the next level on the football field. But there is no way a freshman quarterback can do that, right? After a closer look, the trends suggest that may not be the case.

In week 1 of the 2019 college football season, we watched several true freshmen make a major impact during their first start. Bo Nix grabbed national attention as he led a game-winning drive against Oregon, capped by a highlight reel throw to win the game with just seconds remaining. Boise State’s Hank Bachmeier led a tremendous comeback against Florida State on the road in a game that he threw for over 400 yards. Not to mention, Sam Howell started his historic freshman season against South Carolina with a win.

Staying on the Gamecocks, true freshman Ryan Hilinksi would emerge as the starter for the SEC East team down the stretch, after Jake Bentley suffered a season-ending injury. Howell finished the season as one of the best passers in the country posting a 38:7 touchdown to interception ratio and led the Tarheels to a bowl game during Mack Brown’s first season. Hilinksi and Bachmeier both saw their seasons shortened due to injury, but started more than 7 games apiece, and compiled a stat line that was full of promise. Meanwhile, Arizona State’s Jayden Daniels added to the freshman mix as his 17:2 touchdown to interception ratio helped the Sundevils make a big-time splash on the college football world. If you add USC’s Kedon Slovis, UCF’s Dillon Gabriel, and TCU’s Max Duggan to the list the picture starts to become more clear. Especially, considering that Slovis and Gabriel both threw for over three thousand yards.

So, was the play of these freshmen a one year trend, or is it a trend that is seizing the game of football? And could the Vols be one of the next teams to see a true freshman signal-caller take over the reins?

To answer the first question, this is a trend that is seizing the game of football. It is not just a one year trend. In fact, it is a trend that is proving to be highly successful. Let’s flashback to 2016 when Jalen Hurts took over the starting role at Alabama, playing in 15 games, and helping the Crimson Tide to an appearance in the national championship. In 2017, we watched true freshman Jake Fromm step in for an injured Jacob Eason and led the Georgia Bulldogs to a national championship appearance, where they would be devastated on a walk-off touchdown by another true freshman, Tua Tagavailoa, who led the Crimson Tide back in the second half. Now granted, Tagavailoa did not start over Hurts, but he was thrust into battle at the biggest moment of his young career, and he came out on top. Then in 2018, Trevor Lawrence took over for Kelly Bryant by game four and would lead the Clemson Tigers to a perfect season. We’ve already discussed what 2019 brought for the freshman quarterbacks, but now it’s time to discuss why Harrison Bailey can be a part of the revolution of freshman quarterbacks in 2020.

As mentioned before, Bailey has been on the national recruiting scene since he was in 8th grade, but what if I told you that there were multiple people with national connections that knew Bailey could be great before then?

Erik Richards serves as the Vice President and Co-Operator/Owner of Football University, and he is the National Scouting Director for the All-American Bowl on NBC. Richards takes a large part in the development and exposure of high-profile recruits on a day-to-day basis, and he told me this on Bailey, "Harrison Bailey is just the latest Peach State product to be ready immediately at the college level. Bailey started attending FBU camp as a 6th grader, and that is where he caught my eye. He has the unique ability to see the play before it happens and is a little more athletic than people give him credit for. I think the work he put in at camps, 7v7, and at Marietta probably is as unparalleled as I have seen, considering those three phases."

Another person that has watched Bailey grow up in front of him is an independent scouting analyst, and the founder of New Level Recruiting, Junior Baker. Baker has watched Bailey for multiple years, and said of him, " I love Harrison's resilience! He is great under pressure, and no moment is too big for Harrison Bailey." We witnessed this past season that Bailey was his best on the biggest stages, which played a huge role in Marietta winning a state championship, a moment that Bailey had been yearning for over four years. It is the moments in between the start and the finish that Baker believes make Bailey so special.

Baker continued, "He was thrown in the fire at the age of 14. He has been prolifically poised over the last 4 years, being the starter at Marietta High School. Harrison is a people's person, and all the kids seem to attach themselves to Mr. Bailey, which hand in hand makes him a great leader. Tennessee has a great at QB and en even better person off the field."

From my viewpoint, I covered Bailey over 10 times in the past two seasons from camps, 7v7 tournaments, and high-school games, and it is hard not to echo the sentiments of what each individual who contributed to this column said. I have been there for the highest of highs and some really tough lows. I watched Bailey nearly lead an improbable comeback against perennial powerhouse Grayson in 2018, after facing a 29-point first-half deficit. I watched him take hit after hit later in the year at Hillgrove, which resulted in a broken collarbone, on a night that Michigan Head Coach Jim Harbaugh stood less than 20 feet away evaluating him. I was there when he announced his commitment to Tennessee, then when he won the Corky Kell 7v7 tournament during the summer of his senior year, and numerous other times throughout the remainder of his career, some in which he accounted for six or seven touchdowns in a single outing. It would be trivial to speak further on what each individual has already mentioned, but I will close with a simple line, "the proof is in the pudding."