Florida gains ninth 2012 commit in CB Bailey

By Adam Silverstein
April 5, 2011

Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp and his staff are on a roll, gaining their ninth commitment for the 2012 recruiting cycle on Tuesday when three-star cornerback Willie Bailey (Miami, FL) decided to wear the orange and blue next year.

Bailey, who decommitted from Miami (FL) in order to switch to Florida, attends the same high school as Gators redshirt junior wide receiver Frankie Hammond, Jr. At 6’1″ and 165 lbs., he is best suited to play either nickel corner or safety.

“He’s always been a Florida fan,” Bailey’s high school coach Dameon Jones told InsideTheGators.com. “He’s always liked the Gators, but I guess he’s never been there. Once he saw the campus and got to talk to Frankie and see how it fit him – because they are both pretty much the same. They are both quiet kids who run track and are really more laid back and polite type of kids. When he saw how that atmosphere fit him, he started thinking about committing. That’s something he couldn’t pass up.”

Bailey spent the last two weekends in Gainesville, FL and came to his decision at least in part because of the relationship he built with WR coach/recruiting coordinator Aubrey Hill and defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson.

OGGOA will be updating this story shortly.

17 Comments

  1. g8ter27 says:

    Congrats! Now young Willie needs to put on a little weight as he is listed at 165lbs. Hit the weights and have a great senior year!

  2. Phil says:

    this kid is a beast

  3. npgator says:

    Nice pick up for sure.

  4. Timmy T says:

    Looks like the kid isn’t scared to come up and hit somebody. Welcome to GatorNation Willie.

  5. Gatorgrad79 says:

    Ka-BOOM!

    • Gatorgrad79 says:

      Kid just wants to HIT somebody! gotta love that. Also love the blocked punts and the way he accelerates through the line to the play catching the offense in the backfield, and oh yeah, didn’t he run back a punt for a score….

  6. Timmy T says:

    He does close on the runners extremely quick in this video.

  7. John S says:

    This staff works quick, feeling pretty guilty right now for my earlier criticism of the 2011 class. Welcome aboard Mr. Bailey! I see some Reggie Nelson in those clips.

  8. TonyM1449 says:

    Fearless!!

  9. SC Gator says:

    You can tell he already has that natural gift of feeling out where a ball carrier is aiming to run.

  10. zurbo says:

    very solid stuff right there

  11. Daniel M. says:

    Wow, talk about having uncoachable football instincts. Redshirt him and he has 2-1/2 years to learn and bet bigger.

    I’m reluctant to make bold college career predictions for HS’ers. But watching him play defense the way he 1) reads the play, 2) contains the ball carrier, and 3) destroys the play. I think this guy could be special. Guys like him and Kelvin Taylor could be helping shape UF winners in the coming years.

  12. Gio Showtime says:

    There’s barely any clips showing his coverage skills, probably for good reason. I’d be more excited if we get Tracy Howard

  13. Kevin says:

    Looks like he has good instincts for a safety. Put on some more weight and he’ll be hitting even harder. Should end up at SS or FS. Kind of reminds me of Major Wright.

  14. Joe says:

    I agree, I don’t see much CB coverage skills in him from these clips. He’s a SS or FS! Great spearing ability, if he adds a wrap up you’ll have a bona-fide tackler.

    Great pick-up from the 305!!!

  15. scooterp says:

    I don’t think the video is a good measuring stick for an individuals talent or potential. Very few schools at the HS level have an aggressive passing game – most don’t throw it more than 8-10 times a game. I’m sure this kid has pobably wowed coaches and recruiters in camp, where they get a better look at coverage/closing skills.

    And while 165lbs is on the small side – a 6-1 frame can fill out to 190lbs pretty quickly on an 18 year old.

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