Film Friday: Breaking Down 2027 Tennessee Quarterback Commit Derrick Baker's Film

Tennessee’s 2027 quarterback commit Derrick Baker had a lot of question marks going into his senior season of high school. For one, Baker had barely played varsity, as he sat as the backup for his first two years of high school football at St. Thomas Aquinas, and after transferring to Milton High School, he suffered an injury in his first game of the season last year, which caused him to miss the rest of the season.

Through three games this season, he has silenced any doubt that was around his name with three impressive performances. Here’s a full breakdown of the Tennessee commit film from those first three games of the season.

Derrick Baker Film Breakdown

Derrick Baker vs North Cobb

Baker looked solid in his first game back from injury in a year. From his Hudl film, Baker put his dual-threat ability on full display. On one play, he broke multiple North Cobb defenders’ tackle attempts for a long run play. What really caught my attention was his calmness under pressure. He did not panic like most young quarterbacks; in fact, he escaped from pressure multiple times and outran defenders to either run for a chunk of yards or pass the football to an open receiver. He still had growing to do, which makes sense for someone who had not played in so long, completing 13-for-23 passes for 192 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions. Ultimately, Baker scored the game-winning two-point conversion with 12 seconds left on a quarterback power play to help the Eagles defeat their rivals for the first time in 36 years.

Derrick Baker vs Blessed Trinity

The Blessed Trinity matchup has probably been Baker’s worst game of the four. Even then, Baker did not perform that poorly despite going up against a defense led by multiple power four prospects, headlined by five-star Ohio State commit DJ Jacobs. He held his own with some well-placed balls, including his only touchdown throw of the night, where he put the ball right in the breakbasket of his tightly covered receiver, placing the ball perfectly. Again, he showed poise as he helped Milton come back in the game, not forcing many passes in a panic. He did have some struggles, turning the ball over twice. His personal highlight of the game came in the second quarter, Baker spun out of a sack, looked down field and outloaded a 48 (air) yards pass to his receiver for a huge play. Overall, while it was definitely not Baker’s best performance, he still showed how talented he is with his arm.

Derrick Baker vs Cambridge

Baker literally had a record night for the Eagles against cross-town rivals Cambridge. He threw five touchdown passes in under three quarters of action. Throughout the night, his arm talent was on display. This was especially true as he hit his receiver in stride down the field for a 57-yard touchdown. Another big play he had was on a fourth down in Cambridge territory, where he threw a great pass over the middle to his receiver while being hit for not just a first down, but a touchdown. He looked great throughout the night, with his five touchdown passes tying a Milton record for most in a game (he tied current Miami quarterback Luke Nickel).

Derrick Baker vs Battle Ground Academy

Baker put on an impressive display against Tennessee powerhouse Battle Ground Academy. Baker's dual-threat ability was on display again, with him rushing for over 100 yards, and he stepped up after Milton's starting running back was controversially ejected from the game. Another ability he has shown time and time again is his strength. On one play, he got hit on a designed quarterback run at the line of scrimmage by multiple defenders, and yet he pushed forward, at one point carrying multiple defenders on his back, for what would end up being a 17-yard gain. He completed 12 passes during the contest, with three of them going for touchdowns, although he did throw an interception. Overall, in the contest, he had some throws that he likely wants back, but he also made some throws that could have gone for touchdowns, but the receiver's feet were just out of bounds.

My Overall Thoughts on Derrick Baker

Baker has a lot of strengths in his game. His ability to run the football makes him very dangerous, and defenses have to worry about him running just as much as him throwing. He has a very strong arm for someone of his age, and if he is developed right, he could develop into one of the best quarterbacks in the country. That being said, he obviously has his flaws. While he is very good at escaping the pocket, he sometimes seems to be so focused on the escaping part that he leaves the ball open to get knocked out of his hand, which actually happened in the Blessed Trinity game. He will also occasionally throw passes into coverage that might get caught against a high school defensive back, but against SEC defensive backs might not end so well.

Regardless, no high school prospect is perfect; that is why they need development. Having spoken to Baker multiple times, what I consider to be his best quality is his discipline. In an age where most high school recruits care more about money and playing time than development, Baker stands out from the rest. He understands that in going to Tennessee, there is going to be intense competition, and he might not even play for a few years. And yet he has not run from the competition; he embraces it, he embraces the challenge, and he embraces coaching. This is what makes Baker such an interesting prospect, and one who could be Tennessee’s future starter at the quarterback position.

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