Dacoven Bailey makes Rutgers commitment

Rutgers received a commitment from the state of Texas as Scarlet Nation has confirmed that Texas athlete Dacoven Bailey of Pilot Point Selz High School has committed to the Scarlet Knights.

“I just want to thank the Rutgers coaches for giving me this opportunity, they really blessed me," Bailey said. "I really connected with all of the coaches because they all really liked me. I have a great relationship with all of them. They have a lot of energy and they seem pumped about everything they do.”

Bailey visited Rutgers this past weekend and was pretty certain a commitment would follow, although he wanted to wait until today to officially announce his intentions.

But the news leaked tonight from a local news source in Texas.

“It is kind of breathtaking because I was not expecting to go to a school like this,” Bailey said. “It all happened so fast that this has been a really happy ride for me.”

Bailey made the trip alone, but was able to assure his family that Rutgers was the right fit for him.

“My family is really excited for me and the fact that I can get better and better and reach my full potential while playing in the Big Ten for big school,” he said.

Bailey now raises the population of Texas players on the roster to one. He was recruited by defensive backs coach Bill Busch, who has a lot of experience recruiting the Lone Star state.

Bailey will also bring a lot of versatility to Rutgers, having excelled on both offense and defense.

“When they first started recruiting me, it was mainly as a defensive player. But they saw my film and now they want me on the offensive side,” said Bailey, who is expected to line up at wide receiver at Rutgers. “The OC [Drew Mehringer] used to be at Houston and the offense they are going to run is the same offense I have run throughout my whole high school career.”