Focused on football, Tanner Bailey targets spot on Gamecocks QB depth chart

Baseball has always been a big part of life for Tanner Bailey and his family.

He played six years of high school baseball and started as a seventh-grader on Gordo (Ala.) High’s baseball team.

As much as he loves the sport, however, football has the Alabama product’s full attention now that he’s arrived in Columbia to begin his college career with the South Carolina Gamecocks.

“That sport has molded me into what I am today,” Bailey said at South Carolina’s media day. “My grandpa got drafted. My dad loves the game. But for me (football) is my passion. This is what I love.”

Bailey said he didn’t give deep consideration of playing both baseball and football at USC. Freshman linebacker Stone Blanton said he plans to play both.

Bailey was a late addition to the USC signing class in December. He was the highest-ranked high school signee for the Gamecocks’ 2022 recruiting class at No. 240 overall nationally.

Bailey completed 131-of-217 passes for 2,401 yards and 33 touchdowns with nine interceptions as a senior for Gordo.

He committed to Oregon in March 2021 but backed off that pledge when Ducks coach Mario Cristobal took the Miami job days before the early signing period. He didn’t want to follow Cristobal to Miami, and some recruiting analysts predicted he would pick Indiana.

But Bailey opted for the Gamecocks on Dec. 17 and signed with them a day later. He arrived on campus in early June after playing his senior baseball season.

Bailey also had offers from Alabama, where his grandfather Ken Bailey was part of Bear Bryant’s first recruiting class, and Auburn, where his father Lance Bailey played quarterback.

Bailey credited his relationship with USC offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield as one of the reasons he landed in Columbia.

“I love the realness of coach Satterfield — obviously, he is an NFL guy — and the expectations he has for his players. He is a perfectionist and I can relate to him on that level,” Bailey said. “My recruiting process was so different. After I decommitted, I knew I wanted to come here. I am enjoying myself a lot.”

Bailey is part of a large and talented QB room that includes Oklahoma transfer Spencer Rattler, Luke Doty, Colten Gauthier and fellow freshmen Braden Davis and Jalen Daniels.

He’s competing to be the third-string quarterback behind Rattler and Doty.

“It is awesome,” Bailey said of USC’s quarterbacks. “It’s getting a little deeper but there are great guys inside there. Coach Satt does a great job and it has been great learning from guys like Spencer and Luke. We are excited about what our room can do.”

Doty, the team’s starter last season before an injury, has liked what he’s seen from the younger QBs and offered advice for Bailey and the others.

“Take things day by day and don’t get bogged down by any failures that you have,” Doty said. “Don’t get too high on successes you have. When you get too high or too low, that is when you start thinking. I think the biggest thing is keep a level head and have fun with it.

“... They are young guys and have a lot of time. Learn as much as you can so when your time comes, you will be ready.”

Bailey said he plans to use his first year of college as a learning experience as he prepares to compete for the starting job in years to come. Rattler is projected as a 2023 NFL Draft prospect, so his departure for the pros would open up a heavy competition for next season.

“At some point in time, you deal with the depth chart for sure,” he said. “But if you are a really good player and put in the work, then you will get your opportunity at some point in time.”

For Bailey, springtime won’t include a baseball season. It will mean spring football practices and preparations.

“This spring, I want to get out there, earn respect and trust from my teammates and try to win a job,” he said.