RW Recruiting: 4-star LB David Bailey shines in No. 1 Mater Dei’s win over Duncanville
OXFORD, Miss. — Just as any great offense has its leader, the quarterback, the defensive side of the ball is no different. You could say the anchor of a defense manifests in the linebacker position. To me, the traits of an elite linebacker are something found in the words of the late, great Muhammad Ali: “Float like a butterfly sting like a bee – His hands can’t hit what his eyes can’t see.”
If there ever was a position in football that requires versatility, it is this one. Linebackers are the force that must be able to stop the run game but must also be athletic enough to play the pass.
While we completely expect the Ole Miss defense to be much improved this season, a big factor in its resurgence will be the continued recruitment of top athletes. The 2022 class could be a key component in the Rebs’ defensive revival.
Friday Night Lights: David Bailey shines on Nation’s No. 1 team, Mater Dei
Last night, from coast to coast, Friday Night Lights returned, providing a huge stage for some of the nation’s top high school programs and prospects. One of the showdown games that football fans had their eyes upon was the Cali-Texas matchup between No. 1 Mater Dei and the No. 13 Texas 6A powerhouse Duncanville Panthers.
In his 33rd season with the Monarchs, head coach Bruce Rollison brought that “Cali Chaos,” and his team left its mark in DFW by steamrolling the Panthers, 45-4. The game featured forty players who have at least one FBS offer.
Mater Dei is a storied program that in the high school world needs no introduction.They solidified their No. 1 national ranking on both sides of the ball last night. So, let’s get to the meat of the matter — you’re probably wondering why I am asking Ole Miss fans to keep an on on this SoCal team.
Two words — David Bailey.
(Click here for video highlights of David Bailey.)
The 4-star Mater Dei linebacker, who stands at 6-foot-5 inches and weighs in at 225 pounds, is one of the best in the nation at his position. He is the No. 68 overall athlete in the class of 2022, the No.8 linebacker in the nation, and the No. 5 athlete at any position in California.
David Bailey 4 star Mater Dei Stud DE pic.twitter.com/sOTXS6sDl3
— Saddleback Strength (@SaddlebackStre1) June 30, 2020
He has offers from: Cal, Stanford, Oregon State, UCLA, USC, Colorado, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and Washington. He holds SEC offers from LSU and Alabama.
Quick Scouting on Bailey
Here’s what Greg Biggins, national recruiting analyst for 247Sports has to say about Bailey:
“Long, athletic pass rusher with unlimited upside. A natural pass rusher who’s explosive off the edge uses his hands well and has very good closing speed. He’s a naturally strong kid who can bull rush an opposing tackle or beat with him with sheer speed. He’s versatile enough to drop in coverage and can break down in space. He’s an excellent open-field tackler and has the athleticism to run down plays from behind. He has a college body right now and is still just scratching the surface of how good he can be as he’s still a relative newcomer to football. When you look at his frame, natural athletic ability, toughness, and motor, there aren’t many players in the ’22 class with more long term potential.”
– Greg Biggins, National Recruiting Analyst 247 Sports
Takeaways From Watching Bailey vs. Duncanville
One of the key successes to Mater Dei’s victory and top ranking is their defensive talent — and you can’t talk about that without mentioning Bailey. It’s no surprise he had great success lining up as a standing edge rusher and off the ball in the traditional linebacker role. He left no room to breathe for Panthers QB Solomon James, and in the process rarely was unsuccessful in taking down any ball carriers breaking through that Mater Dei defensive front.
Bailey has obvious athletic ability and talent, but he could also be a franchise-level player for the Rebels and fill a big need in the 2022 class. Cali-to-the-Sip seems to breed greatness, so perhaps we will start to hear more about Bailey.
Mater Dei will take on Liberty (Henderson, NV) in another road non-conference game on September 10, 2021. We’ll continue to monitor this defensive talent!
Hotty Toddy!
Lee Ann Herring-Olvedo
Lee Ann serves as the Director of Recruiting for The Rebel Walk. She sees college football the way championship programs do—from inside the personnel room. Every evaluation, every roster move, every recruiting battle tells a bigger story about identity, culture, and how a program is built to win in December, not just July.
With more than 15 years covering the SEC and the national recruiting landscape, Herring-Olvedo has built a reputation as one of the sport’s most respected personnel-driven voices—blending film evaluation, roster construction, and long-term program vision through a true front-office lens. Her coverage of powerhouse brands like Ole Miss Rebels and Kentucky Wildcatshas consistently gone beyond headlines, focusing instead on the blueprint behind winning programs: development, fit, culture, and recruiting strategy.
That foundation was formed early at Brown University, where she worked in player personnel and recruiting while competing as a student-athlete. Inside those recruiting operations rooms, she learned how elite organizations are truly built—through relentless evaluation, relationship building, projection, and trust in the board. Those experiences shaped the way she studies the game today: part scout, part storyteller, part architect.
Her analysis and reporting have appeared across major platforms including ESPN, NFL coverage spaces, USA Today Sports, and Saturday Down South. She also brought her personnel-minded approach to the airwaves as an on-air analyst for the Wake Up 502 College Football Show on Big X Sports Radio 96.1, where she became known for combining film-room detail with a wider understanding of roster identity and program trajectory.
In 2025, covering the rise of Houston Cougars football under Willie Fritz reignited the part of the sport that first drew her into football—the culture, the edge, the belief that a roster can reshape an entire city. That inspiration led to the launch of Coogs 365 Sports, a platform built to cover Houston athletics through a true scouting and recruiting lens while connecting the emotion of the game to the heartbeat of H-Town.
Now, Herring-Olvedo returns to The Rebel Walk where with an even deeper perspective shaped by years inside recruiting circles, national SEC coverage, and hands-on evaluation experience. Her return brings a familiar voice back to Ole Miss coverage—but with an evolved lens rooted in roster architecture, player development, and the modern realities of building championship-caliber football in the NIL and portal era.
For Herring-Olvedo, recruiting has never been about stars beside a name. It is about identifying competitors, projecting growth, and building a locker room capable of sustaining success. Her philosophy mirrors the best front offices in football: stack traits, trust culture, and never stop building.
