Background
David Bailey, one of four children in his family, was born and raised in Orange County, Calif., by his parents (Anthony and Monica). His father is from Jamaica; his mother is from Ghana. His older brother (DJ) played defensive end at JSerra Catholic High School (teammates with Dante Pettis and Cam Bynum) and committed to Harvard, where he was an All-Ivy League pass rusher in 2016 and 2017. Though his parents prioritized academics over sports, Bailey was a multi-sport athlete growing up and starred in football, like his older brother.
Bailey enrolled at Mater Dei High School, a private Catholic school in Santa Ana and one of the top football programs in California, with NFL alums such as Matt Leinart and Amon-Ra St. Brown. After playing on JV as a freshman linebacker and tight end, Bailey moved up to varsity as a sophomore and became teammates with senior quarterback Bryce Young. He posted 21 tackles, two sacks and one forced fumble, helping Mater Dei to rip off 12 straight wins before a loss to St. John Bosco (led by quarterback DJ Uiagalelei) in the 2019 title game. Bailey’s junior season was postponed because of the pandemic — Mater Dei finished 5-0 in an abbreviated schedule in the spring of 2021. Bailey blossomed as a senior and was named 2021 Orange County defensive player of the year. He led his team in tackles for loss (20.5), sacks (15.5) and forced fumbles (three), as Mater Dei rolled to an undefeated 12-0 record and the state championship. Mater Dei ranked No. 1 nationally in 2021 and twice defeated a Servite High team that included current NFL players Tetairoa McMillan and Mason Graham. Bailey was invited to the All-American Bowl and also earned all-conference and all-state honors.
A four-star recruit, Bailey was the seventh-ranked edge rusher in the 2022 class and the No. 5 recruit in California. Before getting the call-up to varsity, he impressed at recruiting camps during spring of his freshman year and received his first scholarship offer (LSU). After his sophomore season, Bailey added offers from Alabama, Cal, Colorado, Oklahoma, Stanford, USC and Washington. Oregon made a late push, as well, but Bailey’s final choice came down to Stanford or USC. Given the importance of academics in his family, Bailey (an honors student at Mater Dei) was drawn to Stanford and became the top-ranked recruit in former head coach David Shaw’s 2022 class. He stayed on after Shaw resigned following the 2022 season, but entered the transfer portal for his final season of eligibility after Troy Taylor was fired as head coach in March 2025.
He visited Texas and UCLA before committing to Texas Tech in April 2025. In less than four years, Bailey graduated with a degree in science, technology and society from Stanford (May 2024) and enrolled in graduate school in Lubbock. He originally accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl before later pulling out of the event.
