Newcomer Profile: QB Harrison Bailey

When Jeremy Pruitt took over at the end of 2017, he honed in on one guy to become the face of his program for years to come. However, that guy was still a couple of classes away in the 2020 class, and his name was Harrison Bailey.

The Marietta signal-caller had already been on the recruiting scene for a couple of years and was well known to fans and coaches all around the country. For that matter, Bailey had multiple offers before he ever threw a pass at the high school level. He even caught the attention of Cam Newton during an event that led to the Panthers QB talking him up pretty significantly. Leading up to his decision at the end of his junior year in 2018, Bailey was down to two teams, Michigan and Tennessee.

However, when it was all set and done, he was sold on being the guy for Jeremy Pruitt's rebuilding task at Tennessee. Pruitt's message to Bailey down the stretch was key in pulling off the coup over Jim Harbaugh. Bailey committed to Tennessee on November 29th of 2018, and he never wavered on that commitment during the remainder of his recruiting process.

Bailey brings a tremendous amount of upsides to Knoxville with him, and he expects to make an impact in the quarterback room from Day 1. Bailey was the encumbered starter during his time at Marietta, and he put up gaudy numbers to show for it. Bailey threw for over 11,000 yards and 115 TD's during his high school career.

Bailey's latest recruiting rankings per Rivals.com has him as the 39th overall prospect in the country and the 3rd overall QB in the class.

Analysis- I have covered Bailey over 15 times in the past two years, and I have been able to take a lot away from him, as a person, and as a player. The first thing that stands out about Bailey is how he carries himself. He embodies the position of QB1, and it shows in everything he does. His ability to handle media, fans, and everything in between has been phenomenal for a teenager. His selflessness as a teammate and desire to put others first is what you hear when you ask about him around the Marietta community. Moving over to on the field play, Bailey has been one of the best high school quarterbacks I have ever watched as a pocket passer. The 6'5, 225lbs QB's ability to make the proper pre-snap reads, utilize all three levels of the field, and extend the play when needed is what truly sets him apart. Bailey's willingness to learn and adapt his body and skill set to the game are other key components that make him elite. Bailey went through a transition between his Junior and Senior season that involved him losing weight to improve his footwork and mobility in the pocket, and it showed this season as he helped Marietta to a 7A State Championship. The Tennessee offense under Jim Chaney is geared to Bailey's style of play, and he is expected to get every chance to take over the reins in Knoxville this fall.

Photo via VR2’s Matt Ray