Bailey talks recruiting

On the opening night of the Elite 11 on Monday, each of the quarterbacks had to stand up, introduce themselves and mention what college, if any, they're committed to.

Of the 12 quarterbacks, 10 have already given college commitments, the two holdovers being Tampa (Fla.) Jefferson's Stephen Garcia and Arkadelphia's (Ark.) Rontrell Bailey.

Bailey, 6-2, 200 pounds said he's looking at three schools right now, has one out in the lead and will take his time with his decision.

"I'm down to Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Mississippi," Bailey said. "I just talked recently to Oklahoma State and they're close to offering me, the other two have already done so. A&M and Ole Miss like me as a quarterback and Oklahoma State likes me more as an athlete.

"Of the three, I like Mississippi the best. I've taken an unofficial visit and really liked it there. The coaches are great too and I just felt comfortable with everyone. When I was at Junior Day, I was the one of the first guys there and Coach Orgeron met me personally and we talked for a long time. I don't know how many head coaches would be the first guy to greet a player at Junior Day but that's Coach O and a big reason I like them so much.

"I still want to take official visits to all three schools and I don't want to make my decision until after the season is over. I just want to be sure I'm doing the right thing so I don't want to rush in to anything.

"I know that most schools only take one quarterback and if I wait too long to decide, one of those schools might take another quarterback and my spot won't be there but I have to do what I think is best for me."

After a slow start on Monday, Bailey came on strong and was very impressive the last two practices. In fact, he was voted by the college counselors as the Most Improved player in the camp. The signal caller is still somewhat raw but has great physical tools and was very good in the chalk talks as well.

"My coach and I spend a lot of time together and that's basically all we do, just talk football. He'll write out different defenses on a napkin or something if were eating dinner and I'll have to figure out a way to beat. So during the chalk talk sessions here, I was pretty comfortable with what was being taught.