Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, the junior was recruited by Ohio State but wasn’t offered a scholarship

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Markus Bailey played the questions straight down the middle.

Columbus, Ohio native. Grew up in the shadow of Ohio Stadium. He didn’t own a jersey. He didn’t cheer for a famous Buckeye. He had a couple of OSU t-shirts because that’s what kids wear.

The presence of the Buckeyes consumes the state. It’s difficult to escape, probably more for an up-and-coming high school player seeking a scholarship to a Big Ten school.

Ohio State showed interest but didn’t offer. Columbus and the surrounding area is filled with talented players. Bailey wasn’t the only one who didn’t make the cut.  

That was OK with Bailey. He wasn’t looking to become a hometown hero. He attended a couple of games, visited campus during a spring practice. He just wanted an opportunity to continue his education and play football.

“I wanted to get a D-1 offer,” the Purdue junior said. “You dream to go to a big-time school. I didn’t know I had the ability to play until I got my first offer and they started rolling in.

“I did get recruited by Ohio State, but I had other big-time offers. I found a school, I felt at home with and I’m happy with the decision I made to become a Boilermaker.”

Saturday’s game is against the second-ranked Buckeyes. This is Bailey’s only chance in the regular season to face his hometown team. Is this a big deal to the 6-foot-1, 240-pound linebacker who is regarded as the best player on the defense, and maybe on the roster?

“In terms of my preparation, I’m not going to change anything,” Bailey said.  “Another football game against a big-time program. Happens to be Ohio State and where I’m from.”

Of course, Bailey downplays the juicy storyline. That’s who he is and he’s not going to add any bulletin board material. The Boilermakers learned their lesson last season before facing Michigan.

However, deep inside Bailey is a desire to bring his top performance. He does it every week, but there might be something special for Saturday night.

“Markus is as ready and as fired up as I’ve ever seen him,” quarterback David Blough said. “He’s been open to me about his passion for the Buckeyes when he was a kid and his frustration when he couldn’t become a Buckeye.

“Now, as a Boilermaker he’s had a great career so far and he’s ready to give them his best shot and prove that he belongs on that field.”

Or, this from Bailey’s high school coach – Hilliard Davidson’s Brian White, who praised his former player’s maturity, intelligence and perspective on all things, not just football.

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“I’m sure he was disappointed by (not getting a scholarship offer), and I think he took it in stride,” White said. “Looking at things the way they turned out he certainly made the right choice for him and I think he feels the same way. Hopefully, with some good luck, maybe he can turn the tide and make Ohio State pay a little bit for their decision.”

Or, this from Purdue second-year coach Jeff Brohm.

“Like everyone, they remember back to their high school recruiting days and how that all unfolded and I’m sure he remembers that,” Brohm said. “He wants to prove himself, he wants to prove that he’s a productive big-time player and I know this is a great opportunity, a big stage for him to showcase where he’s at.”

Bailey had a list of solid offers. Northwestern. Boston College. In the end, it came down to Purdue and Duke. The Boilermakers won out, thanks to a former Buckeye star linebacker, Marcus Freeman.

Freeman was the Boilermakers’ linebacker coach for four seasons under Darrell Hazell.

“I had a good relationship with him and he was one of the key reasons why I decided to come here,” Bailey said. “He did a good job of getting me here.”

And the Boilermakers are better for it. Much better.

Brohm called Bailey the team’s best player throughout the offseason, including at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago. Granted, the emergence of freshman receiver Rondale Moore provides a good debate, but it’s not a straight-line comparison. The combination of Bailey’s ability, what’s he accomplished in his career and this year’s six-game run backs up those comments.   

“I’ve heard coach (Nick) Holt say the best on the defense before but the best on the team, that’s an incredibly crazy thing to hear from your head coach,” Bailey said in late July. “I’m fired up he has that confidence in me and that belief in me that I’m that caliber of player, especially coming from someone like him.”

His biggest growth, though, comes from the leadership standpoint.

No surprise, Bailey is one of eight team captains, but he also needed to nurture inexperienced linebackers Derrick Barnes and Cornel Jones, an overall young defense throughout the offseason and later during the team’s turbulent 0-3 start.

“He gets everybody lined up,” Barnes said. “The little things we don’t know, it helps us become better players. Markus has been a big role model to me. I’ve looked up to Markus. I watch him play and I watch his skill set.”

He’s more vocal, especially after Ja’Whaun Bentley and T.J. McCollum graduated. With only four starters returning, Bailey’s voice needed to be heard.

Jones experienced it during the offseason. He said he was “goofing around in conditioning” and Bailey called him out.

“Markus had to check me. ‘Oh, my bad.’ I had to get back on point,” the sophomore said. “If you knew Markus from last year, he would say very little but what he said would be dead on, spot on. He is way more vocal than last year.”

No complaints from Holt, the program’s co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Whatever Holt has asked, Bailey has delivered.

“He’s done it a lot better than a lot of people thought because he’s a quiet kid,” Holt said. “He’s done a fantastic job of really taking the young guys under his wing and showing them how to study film, how to practice, how to lift to weights. He’s done a good job.”

None of this is a surprise to White, who is seeing the same qualities today that he did during Bailey’s high school career. The work ethic. His character. His development to become the player Brohm and Holt count on every play.

The vocal leadership component is an area White is seeing more and more when watching Bailey on television.

“He became our best leader when he was a sophomore through example more than anything,” White said. “I think he’s become more vocal there and I see him always directing traffic on the defensive side of the ball. He did that for us as well.”

While Brohm’s best player on the team comment might bring unwanted pressure of trying to perform and live up to those expectations, it’s had the opposite impact on Bailey.

Despite leading an inexperienced defense early in the season, Bailey has played more relaxed. He’s not timid in his approach, worrying about making a mistake. If Brohm and Holt believe he’s the best player, Bailey wants to live up to the billing and play with relentless effort and passion.

Expect the same approach Saturday night, maybe with an extra bounce in his step at kickoff, even though he hasn’t expressed it. 

“He is our most active guy on defense and in my opinion, he’s our most talented player on defense,” Brohm said. “Markus needs to be the leader of our defense and needs to run the show. In order for us to win, he has to play well, and he knows that.”

SATURDAY’S GAME

No. 2 Ohio State (7-0, 4-0) at Purdue (3-3, 2-1)

Time: 7:30 p.m.

TV: ABC

Radio: WAZY (96.5)