Virginia Tech had their first transfer portal entry since the Hokies moved on from Justin Fuente as offensive lineman Derrell Bailey Jr has decided to transfer as reported by The Athletic's Andy Bitter, 247 Sports, and others.
#Hokies OT Derrell Bailey Jr. has put his name in the transfer portal, @TheAthletic has learned. The 2020 signee out of Tennessee arrived as a D-lineman but quickly moved to offensive tackle, where his 6-foot-6 frame figured to fill out. His only action this year was vs. UNC.
— Andy Bitter (@AndyBitterVT) November 23, 2021
Bailey will have all four years of eligibility remaining after arriving at Virginia Tech as a defensive lineman before moving to the offensive side of the ball.
Bailey was a fascinating athlete with tremendous size, but never was able to find traction early in his career at Virginia Tech. While he had potential to develop into a contributor down the road, Bailey has decided to open the door to other opportunities that may provide a faster path to playing time of any form.
As Michael Niziolek of the Roanoke Times noted on Twitter, Bailey's departure combined with Brock Hoffman and Lecitus Smith at least leaving means Tech has eight scholarship offensive linemen returning. Given that, expect the next Hokies' head coach to look to find 1-2 older offensive linemen via the transfer portal and/or the JUCO route.
Bailey's decision does open up some short term scholarship room for Tech's large high school class though it's more likely than not that spot goes to a transfer or JUCO addition.
