Transfer WR Javon Baker shines in UCF Debut
In a night full of expectations, transfer Javon Baker showed the fans at UCF’s home why he will be key to the future.
“Crowd came out tonight and did their thing, so we’re gonna do our thing,” Baker said in a post-game press conference.
He was one of the most impactful players on the Knights’ season opener 56-10 win against South Carolina State on Thursday.
On the team’s first drive, quarterback John Rhys Plumlee found Baker for a 12-yard touchdown for the Knights. He previously had his first catch for eight yards.
“We knew he’s got a skillset,” UCF head coach Gus Malzahn said about Baker in a post-game press conference. “You know, he’s a big physical receiver that can hold a point.”
Malzahn previously recruited Baker during his time at Auburn, but the four-star wideout chose the Crimson Tide.
And things stayed hot for Baker during the night. In just his first two quarters as a member of UCF, Baker already had four receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown. For comparison, in two years at Alabama under Nick Saban, he had a total of nine catches for 116 yards and one score.
Plumlee, who had over 400 all-purpose yards, praised Baker and the receiving group.
“As a quarterback, you get a lot of spotlight on you,” Plumlee said. “But it becomes easy when you have people like that around you.”
But perhaps his biggest highlight came early in the second quarter. Following a screen pass by Plumlee from the UCF’s 10, Baker caught the football and advanced it for 53 yards, all the way to SC State’ 37.
Baker finished the game with a team-high 84 yards on five catches. Not bad for a debut wearing Black and Gold.
Running back Isaiah Bowser, who transferred from Northwestern last year, said that players like Baker can be integrated into the system pretty quickly and make plays for the Knights.
Malzahn said that been making big plays since training camp, and the offensive transfers are growing the team’s weaponry.
With Bowser and Ryan O’Keefe getting closer to the end of the chapters at UCF, Baker has a great shot at becoming one of the key players on the team’s offense for the next couple of years.
“The first day I came here, everybody took me as family,” Baker said. “I can’t have nothing better. Take me as a family and we’ll grow together.”
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