Bailey brings experience to WVU

Former West Virginia wide receiver Stedman Bailey still has high hopes of playing football again.

But in the meantime his focus will turn to his future which involves him coming back to West Virginia in order to finish his degree and serve as a student assistant coach.

“We worked pretty closely with the Rams to figure out what’s in his best interest right now seeing as he’s not cleared to play. The best thing for him is to focus on his future and the number one step is to get his undergraduate degree,” head coach Dana Holgorsen said.

Holgorsen coached Bailey during his time at West Virginia and the match was highly successful one.

Bailey left school a year early after a prolific career at West Virginia where he finished with 3,218 receiving yards on 210 catches and scored 41 touchdowns, that last mark is a Mountaineer school record.

He was selected in the third round of the NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams before being sidelined from the game of football after an injury off the field in November.

“I loved my time as a Mountaineer football player and I look forward to working with coach Holgorsen and the Mountaineer football program,” Bailey said.

The Miramar native is set to enroll full-time at West Virginia in order to complete his degree in multidisciplinary studies, which is different than a graduate assistant as he will be taking roughly 15-hours of class per week as opposed to the customary six to nine.

This follows a role he served in with the Rams assisting from the sideline during organized team activities while he hadn't been medically cleared to take the field.

“Stedman’s ability to teach, and his remarkable drive and determination will serve him well at West Virginia, and we wish him and his family the best as they step into the next chapter of their lives,” Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said.

When it comes to his impact, Holgorsen said he will wait to see what Bailey brings to the table but he anticipates him being able to take a couple young wide receivers and show them some technique in order to become a better football player down the road.

“Hopefully make a difference on a couple of what I think are talented young receivers at West Virginia,” Holgorsen said.