The Miami Hurricanes are mourning the loss of Allen Bailey, one of the program’s most distinctive figures and a former NFL lineman, after multiple reports confirmed he died Wednesday at 37.
According to TMZ, Bailey is believed to have died of natural causes.
Bailey’s time at Miami came from 2007-10, when he built a resume that made him one of the most recognizable players in the program. In 50 games, he collected 103 tackles, including 31 for losses, and added 12 sacks. The Kansas City Chiefs selected him in the third round of the 2011 NFL draft, and he went on to spend nine seasons in Kansas City before finishing his pro career with one year on the Atlanta Falcons.
Over a 10-year NFL career, Bailey posted 248 tackles, 22 sacks and four forced fumbles.
What made his story stand out long before he reached the league was the path that brought him to Coral Gables. Bailey grew up on Sapelo, an island off the coast of Georgia, and didn’t begin playing football until high school.
Even so, he became a heavily recruited prospect. Coaches had to fly directly to the island or take a ferry to meet him during the recruiting process, and he eventually picked Miami over several top programs.
At Miami, Bailey was remembered for his rare athletic ability and for the contrast he carried: an intimidating presence on the field paired with a teddy-bear attitude off it. Word of his death first surfaced Tuesday night, and some initially believed it was a hoax.
Meanwhile, the Hurricanes’ program is also entering a new season with fresh expectations on the basketball side. For the first time since the 2023-24 college basketball season, Miami is in the Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll, landing at No. 14 with 650 votes.
The Hurricanes sit fourth among the four Atlantic Coast Conference teams in the poll, behind No. 2 Duke, No.
9 Virginia and No. 11 Louisville.
Second-year head coach Jai Lucas is coming off a historic 26-9 turnaround season and now faces a roster built to take another step. Miami’s group includes eight transfers, two freshmen, an international signee and three returners.
A major bright spot from the summer was the decision by sophomores Dante Allen and Shelton Henderson to stay. Both made real contributions as freshmen and are back in Coral Gables with expanded roles. Henderson, in particular, is a breakout candidate after averaging 13.8 points on 56.7 percent shooting, along with 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals in 35 games, all starts.
In Other News...
Cal Heads To SMU With One Massive Offensive Question
Cal heads into its trip to SMU carrying more than the usual road-game uncertainty, because the offense is already dealing with a thin margin for error. The Bears will be without leading rusher Adam Mohammed and running back Carter Vargas, two absences that put even more pressure on a unit trying to find some stability away from home.
The bigger concern may be what surrounds the backfield. Four wide receivers and three starting offensive linemen are listed as questionable, including Ian Strong, Bastian Swinney and Jimothy Lewis Jr., which leaves Cals depth in a precarious spot if any of those players cannot go. SMU has its own injury issues, including safety Tyren Polley Jr. and running back Dramekco Green, but the Bears offensive availability is the more immediate storyline as they try to sort out who will be ready to play. [Read more 🡒]
Cal Heads To SMU With One Frustrating Question Still Unanswered
After Cals 41-7 loss to Wake Forest, Tosh Lupoi owned the result and tried to move the conversation forward toward SMU, but the clearest lingering issue from the defeat remained the one he never fully answered: why Jackson Brousseau got the start over Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. Lupoi addressed the quarterback decision, but he did not offer much detail on how he made it, leaving the Bears with a familiar kind of uncertainty as they head into another road test.
Sagapoluteles late entrance only sharpened the question. He was the more effective of the two against Wake Forest and delivered Cals lone touchdown, while Brousseau struggled to get the offense moving. Now Lupoi is saying the job will go to whoever gives the Bears the best chance to win at SMU, a team with plenty to like on both sides of the ball and a matchup that will demand a cleaner answer under center. [Read more 🡒]
Cal Needs This Offensive Reset To Look Real At SMU
Cals offense is heading into another reset this week, with Tosh Lupoi expected to pair Pat McCanns play-calling with Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele at quarterback against SMU. The Bears have spent the season searching for the right mix after trying different quarterback and play-caller combinations, a sign of just how unsettled things have been on that side of the ball. Now theyll find out whether this version can bring a little more clarity against a defense that will not make the adjustment easy.
The timing adds another layer of intrigue because Sagapolutele is coming off a game in which he was replaced as the starter, so how he handles the change matters as much as the scheme itself. Cal still has to deal with a thin rushing attack and a tough road environment for any offense looking to find rhythm, which makes this more than a simple personnel tweak. It is a chance for the Bears to see whether a new combination can hold up when the game counts for real. [Read more 🡒]