Texas Tech elite EDGE David Bailey spurned the NFL for a run at something special
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Following his last season at Stanford, EDGE David Bailey could have headed to the NFL, where he was projected as a second or third-round pick. Instead, he found his way to Lubbock and the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Bailey heads into his final college football season as a member of a revamped Tech defense that many analysts have ranked in the top five overall in the nation. The defense will surely be the strength of this Texas Tech 2025-2026 team, and they are elite enough to get the Red Raiders into some meaningful games and perhaps a push for the College Football Playoff. Here is what Bailey had to say about Tech, why he came back, and what his expectations are.
“I feel a lot of pressures, but I feel like all I can do is kind of focus on my game right now, focus on maximizing my potential, playing with the guys around me. I feel like this team’s a pretty special thing. We can go pretty far. One of my priorities in terms of just helping this team out, taking them as far we can go.”Texas Tech EDGE David Bailey
EDGE David Bailey could have gone to the NFL after his junior season, but decided to stay in school and head to #TexasTech.
— RedRaiderSports.com (@RedRaiderSports) July 29, 2025
“I feel like this team is a pretty special thing. We can go pretty far.” #GunsUp #WreckEm
➡️ https://t.co/eI9ZrJqx0p pic.twitter.com/Vfsq4pYksB
Bailey is now projected to sneak into the late first round of next year's NFL Draft. If he has a banner season in Lubbock, he could move up even higher on draft boards. For now, all Bailey cares about is winning games and getting the Red Raiders into the CFP. All things that seem very plausible with the talent Tech has on both sides of the ball.
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-e01c17fcdae4e0dd656bdc7ca6585efc-53691679a614377a6a1b52f78beac8fb.jpeg "Jerred Johnson")
Jerred Johnson has served in the United States military for over 23 years. He has a Bachelors in Marketing, a Masters in Management and is in the final phases of completing his Doctorate in Business Administration.