79 Days 'till WCU Football Kickoff - #79 Bailey Byrum

It's now 79 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 31, 2018, against the Mercer Bears, in E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC

To help pass those long summer days, and hopefully get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season, and knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the 100-day football countdown each day until kickoff day. Today we'll highlight a member of the offensive line:


#79 Bailey Byrum

Class: Redshirt Sophomore
Hometown: Sweetwater, Tenn.
High School: Sweetwater HS
Height / Weight: 6-7 / 330
Position: Offensive Line


2018 (Redshirt Sophomore): Dressed for several games on the year, but did not see game action.

2017 (Redshirt Freshman): Made his collegiate debut in the home-opener against Davidson (Sept. 9), appearing in one game on the season as a reserve along the offensive line and on special teams.

2016 (Freshman): Did not see game action; expected to take a redshirt ... Named to the 2016-17 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll.

Prior to Western Carolina: Three-time all-county selection and a two-time all-district honoree ... As a senior was named All-State by both the Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TWSA) and The Examiner.com ... Selected as the Region 2-AA co-Offensive Lineman of the Year and was the Advocate Democrat lineman of the year ... Played for the East squad in the Toyota East-West All-Star Classic ... Graded out with 158 career pancake blocks over three seasons including a career-high 72 as a senior with 95 career knockdowns, 64 in his final season ... As a junior was named a MVP at a National Playmakers Academy camp held at Tennessee State Univ. ... Listed as a three-star athlete by 247Sports.com and a two-star standout by Rivals.com ... He is considered the No. 124 offensive tackle in the nation and the No. 26 overall player in the Tennessee Class of 2016 ... High school coach was Ethan Edmiston.

Personal: Is the son of Eddie and Laura Byrum ... His grandfather, David Michael "Big Dog" Vestal Sr., played football at the University of Tennessee where he was on the Vols 1956 Sugar Bowl team ... His uncle, David Vestal Jr., played football at ETSU.







Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations