HILLIARD, Ohio (WCMH) – When the Bengals square off against the Rams in the Super Bowl this Sunday, many fans in Hilliard will be rooting for the homegrown linebacker on Cincinnati’s roster.

Hilliard Davidson graduate Markus Bailey has emerged as a playmaker for the Bengals in just his second season in the NFL.

Beaming with pride, Bailey’s high school coach Brian White said even though Bailey showed tremendous talent during his high school seasons at Hilliard Davidson, he never imagined he would now be preparing to take the field in the Super Bowl, but just like the Bengals defied the odds during the playoffs, Bailey defied several obstacles on his journey to the NFL.

“He was a dream to coach,” White said.

Bailey shined on and off the field during his high school career.

“His work ethic, his character, his intelligence, everything that you could want in a high school kid, let alone a high school football player, Markus had those traits,” White said.

Now retired from coaching but still teaching in the Hilliard school district, White said young athletes should aspire toward the NFL linebacker’s honorable traits.

“This is the kind of kid Markus is: when he was in high school, he babysat my kids,” he said.

That was a special task coach White didn’t entrust to many.

“I think if you knew if as a person, you could see big things on the horizon for him,” White said.

His five-year playing career at Purdue University was bookended by injuries, but in between, Bailey had a breakout night in 2018 when Purdue beat Ohio State University when he made 15 tackles, including a pick 6.

“Dominated the game,” White said. “He did so much that night and it was just so awesome to see him play on that stage.”

After suffering a torn ACL his senior season, Bailey battled back preparing for the NFL draft. In 2020, Cincinnati drafted him in the 7th round, and White now enjoys watching him compete on the NFL stage.

“He’s like, ‘Coach, it’s the least I can do for you, any time you need tickets, give me a call or a shoutout,’” White recalls him saying.

White said so many Hilliard fans cheered when Bailey made a crucial stop in the divisional round game against the Tennessee Titans to help lead the Bengals to the AFC Championship.

“He made a tackle on Derrick Henry on like a 4th and 1 play and my brother-in-law immediately text me,” White said. “Markus-Freaking-Bailey…is what his text was, to put it on camera that way.”

White said he and Bailey text each other on a regular basis, and the Hilliard Davidson football team created a special social media post showing support for the former Wildcat now on his way to the Super Bowl.

“Just to see him out there, whether it’s on special teams or he played a ton at the end of the year at linebacker as well, and there’s nobody more deserving than Markus Bailey of where he’s at right now,” he said.

White said Bailey got his family tickets for the Bengals-Steelers game this season. White asked Bailey for his Venmo account because he wanted to pay for the tickets, but Bailey would not take the money, saying it was the least he could do for his high school coach.