One domino after another caused Tristan Bailey to end up in Laramie instead of Fort Collins, then back in Fort Collins but not on the football field. After missing competition, Bailey found himself in Coffeyville, Kansas for most of the last year, an unlikely place that led him in Bozeman, Montana over the last few days.
A year at Coffeyville Junior College helped land him on Montana State’s recruiting radar in November. MSU special teams coordinator B.J. Robertson reached out to Bailey initially. Bailey spent Sunday, Monday and Tuesday on an official visit to Montana State’s campus. The standout kicker left Bozeman verbally committed to join the Bobcats in January as a mid-year transfer.
“The biggest thing that was appealing when I first got there is you can tell from all the coaches that it’s a great atmosphere and they have great goals,” said Bailey, who chose Montana State over preferred walk-on offers from Nevada and New Mexico along with scholarship offers from Samford and Colorado Mesa. “You can tell the program is on the come-up and they have a great set of goals they have going for them.
“The community was a big part of it, too. Coach Robertson was telling us about it when we got there. You are walking around and you see ‘Go Cats’ in almost every single local place. It has that community feel, that home feel.”
The Colorado Springs native earned a reputation as one of the Centennial State’s top kickers by drilling 16 field goals, including a 53-yarder, during his two years as a standout at Rampart High School. His top choice to continue his college career was Colorado State before head coach Jim McElwain jumped to Florida before the 2015 season.
“Both my parents went to Colorado State and I was talking to McElwain and I was a top recruit, so I was pretty set on there,” Bailey said. “But then when McElwain got hired at Florida, it fell through. Wyoming was the second choice but bumped up to the first choice.”
Bailey, who trained in high school with former Denver Broncos All-Pro kicker David Treadwell, also had interest from Colorado. He decided to accept a preferred walk-on offer from the Cowboys. In Laramie, he ended up rising to the top of the depth chart even with stiff competition from a collection of more experienced players.
“I wasn’t expecting as many kickers to be there but for me, I thrive on competition and I was able to find a way to push above them in certain areas and ended up getting myself a starting spot,” Bailey said. “It was a good experience working with all those guys. You see some incredible athletes, they push you, you push them.”
Despite missing the first four field goal attempts of his career, Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl stuck with Bailey through the 2015 season. Bailey finished 2-of-8 kicking field goals and 28-of-31 kicking PATs. After the completion of a mentally draining debut season, Bailey walked away from football for a time. He attended classes at Colorado State in 2016 but missed the gridiron.
“Honestly, Wyoming was definitely an experience where looking back on it, you cherish it for sure and you learn a lot,” Bailey said. “You don’t really realize how much you are thrown into as a true freshman. It’s kind of overwhelming but it was a great experience, traveling, getting to see all those cool places, pushing through the struggles.
“At the end of the season, I decided it wasn’t the best spot for me so I decided to leave. After I left Wyoming, I went back to Colorado State but didn’t play. I was there taking classes and after that season, I was like, ‘Dang, I really need football, I need to find a way to get back to football.’”
He joined Coffeyville’s team in January. Last season, he made 11-of-17 field goals and all 34 of his PAT attempts. He also ensured his eligibility and can transfer mid-year. His strong leg and instant eligibility sparked the interest of the Bobcats. After spending a few days in Bozeman, Bailey is finally returning to Division I.
“I’m from Colorado Springs so it was nice being back in the mountains,” Bailey said. “Being in Kansas for junior college was definitely different. It will be nice to be back in a place that feels like home.
“When you are not playing football, it’s not that great. You miss it. I was able to learn how to be a student and not just an athlete. It’s been a good transition from that because when you first get into college athletics as a true freshman, you have to learn how to handle school and football and that was tough. I got to figure out that and it made me grow and for me, I’ve mentally and athletically matured quite a bit since then.”
Bailey came to Wyoming facing stiff competition to win the starting job but won it at a rookie. At Montana State, Bailey will again encounter veteran competition. He is expected to provide depth at punter but will compete for the starting jobs as MSU’s place kicker and kickoff specialist.
Luke Daly earned All-Big Sky honors as a sophomore in 2015, Rob Ash’s last season at the helm at Montana State. The Billings Central product tore his ACL during winter conditioning in 2016. He then received a suspension for the 2016 season for an off the field incident.
In Daly’s place, preferred walk-on Gabe Peppenger from Missoula Sentinel filled in admirably, hitting 9-of-13 field goals and all 25 of his PATs. Daly returned last season to beat out Peppenger at kicker and Jered Padmos at punter. But three games into the season, he abruptly left the program.
Peppenger stepped in again, hitting 5-of-8 field goals, including all four of his tries inside of 30 yards. He went 1-of-3 on field goals between 30 and 39 yards and missed his only field goal of more than 40 yards. Bailey’s season-long at Coffeyville was 43 yards. He kicked six field goals of more than 30 yards.
Bailey said he is excited for the competition. He will have two years to play two. He will major in business management while getting another chance to compete in Division I.
“That was definitely a goal and I had to find a way to get there,” Bailey said. “I’m excited to get back and finish out strong.
“This feels great. I’m very excited. I’m looking forward to the opportunity. I feel great about the coaching staff and the players I met there and the community and all the faculty at Montana State. I’m really excited for the opportunity I have there the opportunity I can present to them to hopefully benefit their kicking game and get them back with that. They are providing me a lot and I’m really thankful.”
Photos attributed and contributed.
