Oregon Checks Major Box for Brandon Baker Following Recent Visit
2024 Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei offensive lineman Brandon Baker has been a top target for Oregon for a long time.
His recruitment with Oregon got reset a little bit when Adrian Klemm and Viane Talamaivao took new jobs after the 2022 season.
He took his second visit to Oregon in less than a month over the weekend and the Ducks made a major impression.
Now that he's back from the trip, which he made alongside Mater Dei teammates Aydin Breland and Jack Ressler, he fells it was worth it to make it back out.
"I'd say it was a lot more lowkey," Baker said. "Not too much going on. Not too many recruits there. It was actually the first time I visited when not too much was going on, so I was able to feel how genuine and how much they really prioritized me."
Following his spring game visit Baker said he wanted more genuine time with the coaching staff, and a relatively quiet weekend in Eugene gave him just that.
"That's exactly what I got out of it. Definitely got to spend some genuine time with Coach Lanning, Coach Terry, Coach Cav (Mike Cavanaugh), all the offensive line coaching staff."
Baker was able to spend extended time with Dan Lanning, who he thinks is doing things a bit differently than other head coaches.
"Being able to spend that time with Coach Lanning, I wouldn't say there's any other head coach in the nation really recruiting like he does."
Lanning's personal involvement in his recruitment is part of what makes Oregon's approach special.
"I would say I really appreciate it. Like you said, you're not really sure how he manages it, but he does it," Baker said. "Does it at a high level. Just being able to be comfortable with him and the program. Kind of starts from there and it trickles down so I really do appreciate that."
The nation's No. 1 offensive tackle arrived in Eugene with one main concern.
"A concern for me was that Oregon's a place that I've grown to be comfortable with. I would say coming into the visit (that) was more a concern than a plus for me. But just being able to hear their opinions on how the room's shaping up and how each and every one of the guys compete and they work and that O-line room-- how they believe they have the tightest bond, the tightest connection on the team.
"That's always a plus and I also voiced that concern to Coach Lanning and he was able to tell me straight up that guys are coming to work every day so that won't ever be a problem, being comfortable. So that really just made me rethink a lot of things."
Another aspect of the trip that made it great was his one-on-one time with Josh Conerly Jr., who gave him the real on what it was like being a Duck.
"Just being able to see what he likes, what he doesn't like and kind of really that comfortability--being able to sit down and talk to him really," Baker said. "You don't really get that at a lot of places. Me and Josh I would say are pretty tight."
The Mater Dei standout will take an official visit to Oregon and that trip could come next month. He gave the latest on his official visit plans.
"At the moment I have Ohio State and Georgia. Trying to see how it's looking for Tennessee, FSU and Texas. And Oregon is in the mix so unfortunately one of the schools won't be able to make it as far as June goes. And just kind of see how it's looking in the fall."
The 6-foot-5, 285-pound tackle will be in Columbus June 9-11 and Athens June 23-25.
As he enters a pivotal stretch of his recruitment, he's been having talented recruits from across the country in his ear.
"Mike Van Buren, he actually hit me up after he committed," Baker said. "Kind of get that boat rolling. Dylan (Raiola) we've been kind of texting since about last year when he had visited Oregon as well, so we've always been in the loop. Now that he's with Georgia he's been been trying to recruit me. As well as Air Noland down at Ohio State and a couple of guys from Ohio State."
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