If he decides to play for Auburn, Tanner Bailey won’t need anyone to show him around town or campus. The 4-star quarterback from Gordo, Ala. has basically lived on the Plains since a young age.
“I grew up a huge Auburn fan,” Bailey told The Auburn Wire on Saturday. “For me growing up, that was kind of second home. We had season tickets pretty much every year. And so that would be another one main reason to just… With growing up down there, you experience the tradition and the atmosphere in Auburn. And so I think there’s two really, really big factors when it comes to recruiting. Wanting to go somewhere where you feel like you fit in, not just football, but also in that town.”
The Bailey family’s blood runs burnt orange and navy blue as Tanner’s dad, Lance, played for the Tigers from 1982-85. That doesn’t mean the rival Crimson Tide are completely ruled out for Tanner’s landing spot.
“I haven’t talked to them since Coach [Bill] O’Brien got there,” Bailey said of Alabama’s new offensive coordinator.” So, I mean, when I said recruiting, one day it can change, one day it can be something different. So right now, I haven’t had much contact with them since Coach O’Brien’s been there.”
Missing action due to a collarbone injury in his junior year, Bailey did return late in the season. He was building on a sophomore season in which he threw for 2,309 yards and 23 touchdowns to just six interceptions.
With his senior season coming this fall, the two-sport athlete — he also wants to play baseball in college, if possible — is just focused on becoming the best quarterback he can be, not the accolades and offers that come with it.
“I feel like I want to extend plays more,” Bailey said. “I think some coaches that have a question mark on whether I can extend plays and stuff like that. And I know I can, it’s just whether me doing it or not. I feel like I don’t really don’t have to because we have such a good offense. We have really good receivers, we have a really good running back and so I feel like sometimes, if we want to run something, we’re going to give it to a back or receiver But that’d be something I’d want to do. That’d be kind of a little fun thing, just extend some plays.
Two, [I want to] be more consistent. I think the first part of the season, before I broke my collarbone, I pressed a little bit, trying to live up to expectations and stuff like that. But when I came back after my collarbone injury, I was a lot more consistent making throws and completion percentage. Making throws I was supposed to make and then given another chance on the balls I’m really not supposed to make.”
Here is the rest of my conversation with Bailey:
How is the collarbone?
“It’s doing really good. I’m back to 100% now. We actually just started up baseball, and so it’s giving me no problems. In the playoffs, it gave me no problems, and so far, it’s given me none.”
“Yeah. At Auburn, it’s a real possibility. I’m taking it day by day right now. That’s what I tell everybody, with recruiting, just one day it can be one thing and the next day it can change so much. So right now, Auburn will be a real possibility to play both. I’ve talked to Coach [Karl] Nonemaker, who’s on the baseball staff and I talked to Coach [Bryan] Harsin, and so if they do offer again and re-offer, then I’ll for sure have interest in both of them.”
What is your relationship with Harsin like so far?
“It’s been pretty good so far. I’ve talked to him probably three or four times. He takes me off his personal sometimes, and that’s kind of a big deal with recruiting, when the head coached takes you off his personal. And so, and then coach Bobo, I’ve talked to him a few times as well, they’ve sent me a few letters, so building a relationship right now.”
Does he seem himself as a Bo Nix-like quarterback or more Mac Jones?
“Kind of a mix. More towards the Mac Jones side, just a pure, natural passer. I feel like I can extend plays like Bo can, but I feel like more of my kind of play style is like a Mac Jones type of guy. Natural passer first and then if I need to, extend it when I can.”
Has he set any sort of timeline for his commitment?
“No idea right now, day by day. I mean, I’m just taking it day by day. Just taking all the options I can in and weighing them. But I imagine in the next few weeks, there’ll be some big changes with, at least commits. And so, that’ll kind of narrow down for me and stuff like that. But at the same time, I’m just taking it day by day and just waiting it out to see where I feel I can. But when I do feel like I’ll make my decision, then I won’t waste any time.”