PISCATAWAY -- Even in the era of recruiting service databases and corporate-sponsored camps, high school football stars can slip through the cracks.

It was about to happen to Dacoven Bailey until the first-year Rutgers coaching staff led by Chris Ash turned to some old-school recruiting methods to make up for only having five weeks between their official start date and Signing Day.

"The reason we found out about him is because one of my best friends, when we got the job, I called him up and said, 'You got any dudes?'" Rutgers defensive backs coach Bill Busch said. "He goes, 'I got one. This guy is really good. No one is recruiting him.'"

Soon, the 5-foot-10, 199-pound Bailey's highlight film from his career at a Texas high school was in front of the coaching staff that now is talking about playing him as a true freshman wide receiver.

Bailey, who has not yet been available to the media during training camp, rushed for 1,172 yards and 13 touchdowns and added 31 catches for 321 yards as a senior. He totaled 1,609 yards and 21 scores as a junior.

"Instantly, we wanted him at corner -- bad," Busch said. "Receiver is kind of where he wanted to be. He is an offensive guy, but he could play corner also.

"That's kind of how it all worked out -- we got some help on it -- and we tried to keep it under the wire as much as we could so nobody else caught wind of it."

Ash, who brought Busch with him from Ohio State, singled out Bailey as a true freshman who will play both on offense and special teams because he is "one of the faster kids we've got on the football team."

"I'm really excited about him and what he's done in the increased reps as we've gone through training camp," Ash said. "There are a lot of people who are under-recruited.

"Someone put us onto him and we watched the film and said, 'Looks pretty good to us.' We went down and recruited him, we got him and what we saw on film is what we're seeing out there on the practice field. Very excited to have him."

Dacoven Bailey is catching on quick as a true freshman wide receiver for Rutgers.

Bailey's speed makes him the perfect fit as a second option -- especially with Jawuan Harris missing the last couple practices due to injury -- in the spread offense slot position occupied by starter Janarion Grant, who is cut from a similar mold.

Like Grant, bubble screens, reverses and other quick deliveries make sense for Bailey. Grant is in line to challenge Rutgers career all-purpose yardage record between kick returns, punt returns, receptions and hand-offs.

Bailey's versatility wasn't limited to the football field, however.

"The big thing that stood out with him was his ability to compete," Busch said. "He was a freak football player, a freak basketball player and point guard. He also was a state qualifier in track, which in Texas is hard to do."

A case of the old three-sport athlete, right? No. More.

"He ran track in the morning and then he started in baseball in the afternoon," Busch said. "He was a four-sport starter for four years. That's pretty impressive right there."

The problem for Busch, a former defensive coordinator at Utah State, is that he recruited a player who is now causing trouble for his defensive backs.

"What I see from him on the other side and what was I was told in the recruiting process is how competitive he is and how hard he goes," Busch said.

"That's what stands out. Some guys will come in and (just) be really fast. Talk about a fun guy to recruit. I got very fortunate."

Ryan Dunleavy may be reached at rdunleavy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.