Auburn offer 'a little emotional' for 2022 QB

AUBURN | Tanner Bailey thought something was up when his head coach texted him that Gus Malzahn wanted to speak.

But it was hard for the four-star 2022 quarterback from Gordo, Ala., to fully prepare for the news he received from Auburn's head coach Tuesday evening.

“We got on the phone, he just started asking me how I was doing with the pandemic and all that,” Bailey said. “After that he started talking to me about football and about me and how him and Coach (Chad) Morris had watched my film a couple of times and they really liked it and they just want to go ahead and offer me. After that I was kinda on cloud nine the rest of the call.

“I kinda got a little emotional after that, but I tried not to show it too much.”

Bailey is very familiar with Auburn’s program.

“Honestly, it’s really just a dream come true,” he said. “My dad playing at Auburn, growing up a huge Auburn fan and even having season tickets when I was younger, this one hit home.”

Bailey has spoken to Morris, Auburn's new offensive coordinator, several times over the past few months.

“You have to respect it, when he was at Clemson he was developing a bunch of quarterbacks, even his son,” Bailey said. “I’m really anxious to see what they do this year. Obviously, I have a lot of interest in Auburn and if their offensive play style fits me, they could end up being be a top contender for me committing.”

The Auburn offer comes just 24 hours after receiving a call and offer from Alabama coach Nick Saban.

“I’ve been on cloud nine the last two days,” Bailey said. “So many people have called me and texted me. I’m just overwhelmed with a bunch of stuff but at the same time, I’m not going to sit here and say I’m tired of it. I don’t mind it at all.”

Bailey, 6-foot-2 and 191 pounds, has an impressive list of offers that includes Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Michigan and West Virginia. Several other schools including Clemson and Florida are staying in close contact.

He plans to take his time with the recruiting process and gain as much information as possible on all the schools recruiting him. Bailey doesn’t plan to commit until after his junior season at the earliest.

“I’ve got to get my head back on right. I’ve got to get back level-headed and back to what I’ve always said: Take this from a business standpoint, weigh all my options and kind of wait,” Bailey said. “I really don’t plan on committing anytime soon, probably not until after this season. As many coaches that are interested in me, let them come in and if they offer, they can. Once I think I’ve got a bunch of the schools I’m interested in under my belt, then I’ll start narrowing it down.”

After sitting out of baseball as a freshman to concentrate on football and adding weight, Bailey returned to baseball for a brief period this spring before the coronavirus pandemic shut down the sporting world. In nine games, he batted over .400 with five home runs.

“I kind of missed it a little bit because I’ve played baseball my whole life,” Bailey said. “It started off a little slow for me. I hit the ball well, played some good defense. Then after the third or fourth game, I started hitting the ball real well. I hit three home runs in one game against a team in Mississippi and then a few more after that.”

His play on the diamond has already attracted the attention of Auburn head coach Butch Thompson and assistant Karl Nonemaker, who contacted him this spring. Bailey is open to playing two sports in college.

“It depends but I’d like to, yea, to play both,” he said. “At the same time, I think football is my first sport, my first love. But if an opportunity comes open that’s hard to pass up, I may take it.”

Bailey led the Gordo football team to a 12-1 record last fall throwing for 2,490 yards and 25 touchdowns despite playing with a cracked left elbow. The Green Wave advanced to the quarterfinals before being knocked out by the Class 3A runners-up Mobile Christian.

Gordo will compete in 4A this season.

“We got a bunch of skill players coming back so that’s pretty good,” Bailey said. “I think our question mark will be our offensive line because we had four guys graduate. So we’re going to be a little inexperienced on the offensive line, but it’s also Gordo. We know how to play football down here.”