Brandon Baker Plans To Return To Tennessee

Five-star offensive tackle Brandon Baker traveled south this week to visit the Tennessee Volunteers, and a report confirms things went very well.

This weekend was crucial for Tennessee's coaching staff. They hosted several high-priority targets, some for the first time. Offensive tackle Brandon Baker embarked on his spring break tour and began in Knoxville; the five-star Californian will see several top programs over the next seven days.

It was Baker's first time in Knoxville, and there wasn't a certainty he would return. There's a long trek between his high school, Mater Dei, and Knoxville; in fact, a 32-hour car ride separates the two. Baker doesn't often go south, meaning it would have been reasonable to assume this was Tennessee's only opportunity to pitch him before he made other plans.

He interviewed with 247Sports after the visit concluded, and the initial quotes are interesting. 247Sports published a tweet linking the article, saying that Baker enjoyed his time and will "definitely" return. There's still a long way to go; USC, Oregon, and Nebraska have separated themselves from the pack in his recruitment.

Five-star offensive lineman 'definitely' plans to return to Tennessee after first visit https://t.co/8af9Vf5VO4

— GoVols247 (@GoVols247) April 2, 2023

Baker stands 6-5 and 285 pounds, more than enough to play right tackle in the SEC. Former Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright had a lot of success with a skillset similar to Baker's. Neither are the biggest individual, but they can win with power and athleticism. Creating a case study for recruits is essential; head coach Josh Heupel can point to Wright and acknowledge the progression he made between Heupel's first and second seasons at the helm. Wright is a consensus first-round pick and could be the first offensive tackle off the board.

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