Brandon Baker, Nation's No. 1 Offensive Tackle, Recaps Oregon Spring Game Visit
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Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei offensive tackle Brandon Baker has been at the top of Oregon's recruiting big board for a long time. In fact, I considered Oregon the team to beat last fall.
But the departure of Adrian Klemm served as a bit of a reset in his recruitment. He visited Eugene for the spring game this past weekend and broke down some of the highlights with Ducks Digest.
"Really just being able to get a feel for Coach Terry, the new offensive line coach and the new O-line staff that they have with Coach Cutter (Leftwich) and Coach Cav (Mike Cavanaugh). It's really great to see how they're all gelling together and what Coach Lanning is doing."
Baker had particular praise for Dan Lanning's vision and even has confidence that he'll finish his career in the company of college football's elite.
"I do believe that he will be able to one day be one of those greats alongside Coach (Kirby) Smart and Coach (Nick) Saban--guys he's worked under. Just seeing what he's bringing to the program, it's definitely amazing to see. I haven't been back, it's been some time, so just being able to see them gel together and he's bringing that energy for sure."
Baker got to spend quality time with Terry and the two hit it off. The 6-foot-5, 290-pound mauler thinks Oregon's offensive line is in good hands.
"I would say (a) real down-to-earth person for real," he said. "I feel like he'll be able to pick up where Coach Klemm left off honestly. Just being able to get a feel for him and getting down to see what he's really about. I feel like it was everything that I imagined really."
He'll have a close eye on what Terry can do with one promising player on this year's roster.
"Just definitely would love to see what he does with that group. What he does with Josh Conerly in specific. He plays offensive tackle, No. 1 offensive tackle in the class of 2022. Just really seeing what he does with him this next season and really just go from there."
His trip to Eugene left him wanting to get back for another visit.
"Definitely left me looking for more for sure," the five-star recruit said. "Definitely would love to get back down once more, however many times more I'm able to get down."
Baker has locked in a pair of official visits for June and a new offer on Tuesday could add another wrinkle in his recruitment.
"At the moment June 9-11 is my first official visit to the Ohio State University, so looking forward to that and really just seeing from there. I got another one set up the 23rd-25th for my official visit to Georgia. Recently just got offered by Alabama, so definitely would love to get down there for an official visit as well."
He spoke about what the offer from the Tide means for his recruitment.
"That's a powerhouse name right there. I would say probably about five to ten times more of what Mater Dei is doing. That structure and that foundation wouldn't really be much of an adjustment, really just an enhancement of my performance. Just being able to get down there would mean a lot to be able to see where they are in my recruitment."
While there's no date locked in, it's looking likely that Dan Lanning and the Ducks will get an official visit of their own.
"I would say it's more on the safer side, yes sir."
Baker is in no rush to make a decision and is still focused on December for a commitment timeline, but noted that things could change.
The nation's premier offensive tackle knows what he's looking for in a school, but added some interesting notes on what he wants to see from Oregon.
"Just really the atmosphere and the feel of the staff really," he said about what he's prioritizing. "With Oregon in particular, I haven't really been able to spend genuine time, I would say intentional time with the staff as a whole. Usually when I get down it's for a spring game or a game-- so an official visit would definitely be something that's worth looking into. But really just to see what these schools and their plans are for me as a player."
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