LeMarkus Bailey having fun, helping lead Mercer defense

Mercer linebacker LeMarkus Bailey says he is having fun this season, and that’s easy to see.

Bailey is off to a strong start to his junior season as the Bears (1-2, 0-1 Southern Conference play) prepare to travel to East Tennessee State on Saturday in conference play.

“Yeah, I’m having a lot of fun. This is one of the most enjoyable teams I’ve been a part of,” Bailey said. “The guys love each other, and we go hard for one another every day. Saturdays are just what we’ve been doing and getting ready for all week in practice. Saturdays are time to have fun.”

Saturdays have been quite enjoyable for Bailey so far this season. He leads the team with 29 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss, and he has one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovered.

“I made the statement in the staff meeting (Monday) morning how LeMarkus has really matured, not only as a player but as a person and as a leader on our football team,” Mercer head coach Bobby Lamb said. “He enjoys competition. He enjoys playing. When I gave him the game ball award to him (Sunday) night at the meeting, I told our team, I said, ‘You know, he’s a great player, but he’s even a better leader and a better person.’ When you take those three things, and you mix them together, you come up with a special young man. You can see him flying to the ball.

“He loves competition. He loves to create chaos, as he calls it, and he’s done a good job of that, and he’s a great leader on our football team, as well.”

Bailey, who is one of the team’s captains, praised his coaches and preparation for his success so far this season. Last year, he played in all 11 games and was third on the team with 56 tackles.

“It goes into game-planning, getting to the ball and effort. We practice all week and have an idea of what the offense will do,” Bailey said. “We don’t know for a fact, but you have an idea. When you have an idea, you can see things develop and run to the ball fast.”

This story was originally published September 21, 2017 at 8:59 AM with the headline "LeMarkus Bailey having fun, helping lead Mercer defense."