When the SMU Mustangs open spring workouts Monday morning, a familiar face will be on the field with the team, albeit in a new role: wide receiver.

De’Von Bailey was, by many accounts, the Ponies’ top recruit in the 2007 recruiting class. A highly decorated two-way player from Eisenhower High School in Lawton, Okla., rivals.com ranked Bailey as the No. 6 player in the state of Oklahoma, and the No. 51 athlete in the entire nation. He was heavily recruited, collecting offers from schools like Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt and Wyoming.

De'Von Bailey is getting a second chance to finish where he started ... at SMU (photo by Travis Johnston).

But after spending two years as a backup safety with the Mustangs, everything changed, when Bailey was one of nine players to learn his scholarship would not be renewed. Bailey said he was the only player in the group who didn’t appeal the decision.

“It was a business decision” by the coaches, Bailey said. “We had gone 1-11, and some changes needed to be made. Coach (June) Jones said when he came in that he was going to treat us like grown men, and be straightforward with us, and he was, so I felt like I should be straightforward with him. I felt like if I appealed it or complained publicly about it, that would be going behind his back, and I wasn’t going to do that. He was honest with me, so I was honest with him.”

True to his word, Jones made phone calls on behalf of Bailey and the other players, trying to help each of them find a scholarship at another school. Bailey said he signed with Texas A&M-Commerce, only to learn that a couple of his credits wouldn’t transfer.

So Bailey headed home to Lawton, where he began working as a secretary at the Northside Chamber of Commerce. While he worked, he assumed custody of his son, De’Vion, who will turn 4 next month, worked out while helping at a camp run by former Oklahoma State quarterback Aso Pogi and saved money to return to SMU.

“When I got back to SMU in the spring, I asked Coach Jones if I could walk on,” Bailey said. “He said yes — he didn’t have a scholarship for me, but he said I could walk on. Being a single parent helps a lot with financial aid, so I was able to make it work.”

Jones said that if Bailey was willing and able to do what was asked of him, he’d get another chance.

“I told De’Von when he left to get his stuff together and be accountable, and he has done that,” Jones said. “He went home and he went to work. Since he has been back, he hasn’t missed any workouts or anything. So far, it sounds like he’s doing everything he’s asked to do.”

Bailey, a psychology major who said he will be a junior in the fall (applying his redshirt year to the 2009 season he missed), said he harbors no resentment toward Jones and his staff for the decision last spring. Instead, he sounds genuinely appreciative.

“It was a great learning experience — I needed that in life,” he said. “I told Coach Jones I apologize that I didn’t show you enough as an athlete. I let him know that I want to have him in my corner, rather than the opposite corner. I was overweight, and I didn’t perform like I should have.

“It was a great life experience. Growing up, I didn’t have male role model in my life. I let Coach Jones know that being the man that he is, being the men that they (Jones’ staff) are, I’ll do things how they want things done. I’ll not only learn the program, I’ll take care of my responsibilities. What he did allowed me to be with my son, which gave me a lot of maturity. (De’Vion) started having seizures in August — they changed his medication, so he’s doing better and they say he’ll grow out of it. But you know they say everything happens for a reason … that’s another reason I appreciate everything working out the way it did, because I was able to be home with him.”

Bailey said that during his sophomore season at SMU, his weight crept as high as 235 pounds. While helping at Pogi’s camp, Bailey worked out; he now weighs between 200 and 205, and says he feels better than ever.

Originally a safety, Bailey will be working this spring with the Ponies' wide receivers (photo by Webmaster).

His sleeker build will come in handy at his new position: wide receiver (he expects to play on the outside). The position change, Bailey said, was his idea.

“I was going to be a wide receiver when Coach Jones and his staff got here, but they had lost a couple of defensive backs that offseason, so in order to have a successful spring, they said they needed me to play safety, so I did. Coming out of high school, I thought of myself as a wide receiver, but (then-SMU head coach) Phil Bennett was a defensive coach, and he said he wanted me to play safety. So that’s where I’ve played.”

Bailey watched from Lawton as Jones and his staff led Bailey’s friends and former teammates on a turnaround season that culminated with the Mustangs whipping Nevada in the Hawaii Bowl. Left on the outside looking in, Bailey said he never felt sorry for himself, or asked “what if?”

“When I watched that bowl game, I was very proud,” he said. “Me being a Mustang — these guys are my new family, so I stuck with them the whole time. I watched the game from start to finish. I had everybody from my family around me watching the game. Some said I should be mad that I wasn’t there, but I needed that. I grew from that whole experience. I don’t look down on Coach Jones at all. What he did is exactly what I needed.

“I’ve got the Mustangs in my veins. I’m a spirit guy. That bowl game was one of the greatest moments for me. My teammates — my brothers — will be wearing that ring, and I won’t, but I felt like I won a ring that day. I was so proud of my team.”

Before he gets sized for any jewelry, Bailey has to find his role on the team.

“We probably won’t evaluate De’Von until fall camp,” Jones said. “There’s going to be a learning curve now. He’ll use the spring and summer to learn and get his confidence. In the fall, we’ll be able to get a better idea of what he can do.”

Bailey said that if hard work dictates who will get on the field in the fall, he has as good a chance of cracking the lineup as anyone.

“I’m very hungry,” he said. “I almost had this chance taken away from me permanently. Actually, I almost gave away this chance. I know I won’t be able to be one of those guys who runs and jumps up to the front (of the wide receiver rotation), but I know I can play. I’m going to wait my time, and when it comes, I’ll be ready.”