Boston College football’s so-called “Buffalo Boys” were on a tear during the 2019 season, as AJ Dillon racked up yard after yard and fellow running back David Bailey played a glorious second fiddle. After the Green Bay Packers drafted Dillon in the 2020 NFL Draft, Bailey was in line for a starting spot, but he struggled under Jeff Hafley’s more balanced, less run-heavy offense. Bailey entered his name in the transfer portal on Thursday.
The portal allows players to publicly display their desire to scope out other programs, making the transfer process more transparent, but it does not bind them to departure.
As a starter in 2020, Bailey recorded just 503 yards on 3.96 yards per carry. While playing backup to Dillon in 2019, however, Bailey put up 844 yards on 5.7 yards per carry. Bailey recorded 16 touchdowns—plus one passing touchdown—and an even 1600 career rushing yards in his time as an Eagle.
While many players who enter the portal end up transferring, the Eagles have first-hand experience in convincing their portal-bound athletes to stay on the Heights. BC wide receiver Kobay White entered his name in the transfer portal last January only to announce later in the month that he would remain at BC for another year.
Bailey joins a number of fellow Eagles in the portal, including quarterback Sam Johnson III. While Johnson was a highly touted recruit out of high school and chose the Eagles over top schools such as Michigan, he never saw the field in two years at BC.
The 247Sports Composite ranked Bailey, a 3-star recruit out of Ridgley, Md., the 84th-best running back nationally in the 2018 recruiting class.
With Hunter Long declaring for the 2021 NFL Draft, the potential departure of Bailey would mark the second major loss for the Eagles’ offense from last season. Next in line to take over Bailey’s spot are his former backups Travis Levy and Pat Garwo III. Levy recorded 321 yards on the ground, and Garwo totaled 127. Neither back was as efficient as Bailey, as Garwo gained 3.7 yards per rush and Levy eked out just 3.2.
Featured Image by Jess Rivilis / Heights Senior Staff
