By Mickey Furfari
For the Times West Virginian
MORGANTOWN —
Stedman Bailey isn’t as well known as Geno Smith, but like his former high school teammate he expects to play football for West Virginia University this fall.
As all Mountaineer fans should know, Smith is the new starting quarterback for WVU. Bailey happens to be a wide receiver who’s battling for playing time, if not a starting spot.
He’s a 5-foot-10, 195-pound redshirt freshman who was learning while sitting out last year.
“I’ve learned a lot since coming here, and I’ve improved in the spring and then in fall camp,” Bailey said. “I was able to learn more about the game and able to read coverages by defenses.
“It helped me just knowing everything about a receiver up here and getting better doing what I’m supposed to do. I worked hard over the summer, too, and hope I have a shot at starting.”
Lonnie Galloway, who coaches the wide receivers, said of Bailey:
“Stedman has done an outstanding job during camp and is making plays. He has worked hard and made himself a better player each and every day.
“He is figuring out the speed of the game, doing a good job on running the correct routes and working hard on his blocking.”
Bailey, smaller than the taller WRs, doesn’t have any difficulty catching passes. He has a vertical leap of about 38 inches.
Smith and Bailey worked together for two years at Miramar High School in Miami , Fla. Ivan McCartney, a true freshman, came from the same school. He’s also a wide receiver and was coached by former WVU standout Damon Cogdell.
Bailey, who transferred to Miramar after one year at Main-Coral City, Fla., High, caught 68 passes for 1,163 yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior. He had 48 for 1,028 yards — an average of 21.5 per catch — in his junior season. He scored 11 times that year.
“Coach Cogdell is a great guy and he taught me a lot,” Bailey said. “He told us about West Virginia and that he liked it up here.”
Bailey earned numerous honors on great teams at Miramar High. He made the Florida 6A All-State first team as a senior and the second team as a junior.
“Yes, I’ve learned to adapt here,” said Bailey, a member of the Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll. “Life for me has slowed down. Having Geno and McCartney here helps.
“Being with those guys, I have been tight with them for so long it just helps me to relax and be myself. I get into a comfort zone with them.”
He believes the Mountaineers have really good chemistry, thanks to working so hard and so good this summer as well as in the two-week fall camp.
“Taking more reps (with the season’s opener just six days away), I was able to see more in preparing for the first game.” Bailey said.
It is on Saturday against Costal Carolina at home.
Bailey, who has 4.4-seconds speed for 40 yards, was on numerous Top 100 lists of prospects nationally in 2008.
Besides Class 6A All-State, he was a Miramar High School team captain as a senior.
He also made the All-Broward County teams selected by several newspapers.
