David Bailey reuniting with Steve Addazio could mean big things for CSU's rushing attack this fall

FORT COLLINS, CO — Steve Addazio has been in the Centennial state for well over a year now, but even so, he hasn’t forgotten his east coast roots. The former Boston College head coach has added yet another one of his players from Chestnut Hill, MA. — this time the Eagles’ leading rusher from 2020, running back David Bailey. 

Bailey entered the transfer portal back in February and according to multiple reports on Monday, the 6-foot-0, 236-pound back has since enrolled at Colorado State University. Although the team has not officially announced his addition yet, Bailey retweeted the story himself, confirming the exciting news for the Ram faithful. A team source has also confirmed to DNVR that Bailey is in fact in ole’ “Fort Fun”. 

Although it might be a little surprising that the team is adding another veteran running back, at least after Marcus McElroy announced he would be returning, it definitely makes sense for Bailey to want to reunite with Addazio and Co. Bailey totaled 332 carries for 1,600 yards and 16 touchdowns over the course of his three seasons at Boston College, demonstrating a consistent body of solid production, even while playing behind A.J. Dillon for the first two years of his career. It was under Addazio and current CSU running backs coach Brian White in 2019, though, when Bailey really shined. 

In Addazio’s final season at BC, Bailey had a career-best 844 rushing yards in 13 games (2019), as he earned honorable mention All-ACC honors in a talent-stacked conference. His average of 5.7 yards per carry was also a high mark. 

Bailey still performed well in the post-Addazio era at BC, as he led the team in rushing yards (503) and touchdowns (7) in 2020. But his average dipped almost two yards per carry (4.0) — the worst of his collegiate career. Now, he’ll have an opportunity to once again play in the system that he thrived in, for the coaches that best used his skillset. And for a CSU squad that is looking to be more consistent on the ground, adding a proving talent like Bailey to lead a versatile stable of running backs is a huge win.

Bailey and McElroy give the Rams a couple of physical options to wear down defenses and set the tone for the type of “smash mouth” football that Addazio is known for. Meanwhile A’Jon Vivens and Tanner Hollens give CSU a different dynamic with their speed and lateral agility. Also factoring in Todd Centeio’s mobility, the Rams should be one of the more versatile rushing offenses in the Mountain West, especially if the rebuilt offensive line lives up to expectations this fall. 

What’s really encouraging about Bailey in particular is while he is definitely best suited to be a between the tackles-type back, defenses cannot sleep on his ability to break a screen or out-run them in the open field. Bailey is a patient runner, that uses his blockers and vision well, but he is deceptively shifty, nimble and hard to bring down.

Here are a few examples of the explosive, game-changing plays that Bailey is capable of producing.

In this 2019 game against Richmond, Bailey waits for the hole to open before exploding through the gap, making a smooth cut to beat the linebacker, and then he just refuses to be taken down in the open field.

In what was a monster game against North Carolina State in 2019, Bailey recorded about 55 of his 181 yards on the ground with this Beast Mode-esque scoring highlight.

Bailey’s first touchdown against NC State was Sports Center-worthy as well. After getting to the outside, Bailey makes a defensive back miss, out-runs a linebacker, beats another DB and skirts into the end zone. Again, his combination of strength and elusiveness is quite impressive.

Heading into 2021, there are questions about how effective CSU will be through the air with Centeio being the presumed starting QB. With Bailey in town, though, it’s clear that the Rams will be stacked in the backfield.