South Bend, Indiana — Previous tosh baker Back-to-back starts for Notre Dame football, eventually becoming an All-American left tackle and projected to be a first-round NFL draft pick. Joe Alto The college football game had not yet begun.
Baker, a redshirt freshman at the time, started his first two career games at left tackle in Games 3 and 4 of Notre Dame's 2021 season. A concussion sustained during practice the following week forced Baker to sit out the game, opening the door for him to play. michael carmody Once he regained the starting role, Alto eventually passed both of them and made his starting debut in the sixth game of the season against Virginia Tech.
While Alto takes the next step in his NFL audition ahead of Thursday's pro day on Notre Dame's campus, Baker will remain in the lineup for the 2024 season opener on Aug. 31 at Texas A&M and will return to He was working hard to get into the starting lineup for two games in a row. The 6-foot-8, 321-pound Baker started in the season-ending Sun Bowl in December after Ortt and right tackle Blake Fisher left the game. This was his first real start since the 2021 game — technically, he started as a tight end/extra tackle in the Ohio State game.
“That was great for me,” Baker said Wednesday. “It’s great to be able to go out there with the guys and just play hard.”
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Baker, who was Alto's primary backup during the season, made his first career start at left tackle with the emergence of true freshman Charles Jagusa, and also played the right tackle position in the Sun Bowl. Both will remain in their positions this spring and have a chance to defend their starting roles in August.
“For me, this bowl game was great because it showed me things that I need to improve on, especially going into this offseason,” Baker said. “I was able to dial things up and strengthen things that needed to be improved, and I can do the same in spring ball.”
Pro Football Focus was not impressed with Baker's performance. His 55.9 offensive grade against Oregon State was the second-lowest on ND's starting line behind Jagusa's 49.0. For comparison, Alto had a 90.7 grade for the season, the best in the nation among starting offensive linemen, while Fisher had a 71.1 grade.
But Baker has watched the game more times than Pro Football Focus has, so he knows what he did and didn't do in that game.
“I watched that game so many times,” Baker said. “We can probably tell you everything that's going to happen before it happens. I think that's the beauty of it. This was the last game where we could go into a long break without putting our pads back on. I was able to study over and over again until I couldn't even look at it anymore.”
How Baker bases his return to the starting lineup will determine what happens to him this fall.University of Notre Dame offensive line coach Joe Rudolph He understands all the tools and abilities needed to be a successful offensive tackle in Baker's game. But he needs to make the most of those traits with consistency, confidence, and a little more strength.
“He has the mindset you want,” Rudolph said. “I'm really excited about where he is right now. I'm excited about how he prepared for the bowl and attacked the weight room to get to where he is now. That was a positive. ”
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Baker may have had a negative reaction to not being able to sit on the bench for most of the past two seasons. The former four-star recruit from Phoenix Pinnacle came to Notre Dame with a lot of expectations. Rivals ranked him the No. 13 offensive tackle and No. 137 overall in the 2020 class.
On the other hand, Alt and Fischer showed that star ratings can be misleading. As a three-star recruit, Alto far exceeded outside expectations regarding his college career. Fisher, a five-star rookie, won't reach the first-round draft projection once associated with his potential.
Baker admitted the thought of leaving had crossed his mind over the past two years, but he never came close to leaving.
“Two things kept me here: the guys in the O-line room and being able to learn from Joe and Blake,” Baker said. “A lot of players in my position would have quit and gone on the street. I love Notre Dame, I love the people in the hall, I love the coaching staff.
I stayed here because I knew I could reach my full potential here. I learned a lot from Joe and Blake. We were able to share ideas with each other. When I needed to improve something, I went to them and asked for tips and such.
“They came [Wednesday] And I was able to reflect ideas from them today as well. It's great to have them back. they love this place. I love this place and that's what makes Notre Dame so special. ”
Baker wants to be able to imitate Alt and Fischer in a variety of ways. He praised Alto's ability to watch the game and prepare for it. He wants to be able to show quick twitch off the ball and use power in his movements like Fisher.
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Rudolph noticed that when Baker played cautiously, he conceded too much. It's up to Baker to eradicate that from his game as much as possible. And it takes a lot of effort to make that happen.
But considering how long Baker had been waiting for this opportunity, it's no surprise that he did everything in his power to find success.
“I didn't always like to travel,” Baker said. “Sometimes you want to focus on the end result. As you grow up, you have to love the process. That's what it's all about.”
The bond he has with his fellow offensive linemen has made the journey even more enjoyable for Baker. He is currently roommates with center Ashton Craig and guard Billy Schlaus, and plays tackles Aamir Wagner and Tai Chung. He is the old man of the group. This should be a good reminder of how far he's come since 2021.
“I’ve matured a lot more since then,” Baker said. “That was my redshirt freshman year. I’m now in my fifth year and I’ve grown even more.
“I know the ball a lot more than I did back then, and I see defense a lot better than I did back then. I'm more comfortable with my body, I'm easier with pass sets and run blocking. I feel like everything is better.”
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