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Vols RB signee Justin Baker 'ready to go to work' at Tennessee

4A3DA472-0F39-4C89-9987-5851509375C0by:Matt Ray•12/04/24•

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Justin Baker Tenn.HEIC copy
Photo courtesy of Justin Baker

For Justin Baker, signing his National Letter of Intent to Tennessee has been a long-time coming. He stuck with the Vols for almost fourteen months after choosing them in October of 2023. Baker’s pledge to the Vols remained firm despite a coaching change at his position after Jerry Mack left Tennessee for the NFL and Josh Heupel tabbed De’Rail Sims as Mack’s replacement earlier this year.

Baker will arrive on Tennessee’s campus sometime this month, depending on how much further Buford advances in the Georgia High School Football Playoffs. However, prior to signing his National Letter of Intent, he discussed his next chapter on Rocky Top with Volquest.

“Shoot, it is really like a burden off my back,” Baker said of seeing the process officially come to an end. “I have been looking forward to that for a while. It has been a lot of talk but not a lot of actual work, so I can go to work and show off my skills. I am just ready to work.”

As Baker gets set to arrive on campus at some point in December, he is truly just focused on getting to work as a Vol.

“The number one thing will be getting acclimated to the size and speed of it all, but I feel like that will come with time,” Baker said of this. “I am either going to be in the books or in that playbook soaking up as much as I can in January before we actually start installing for the next season.”

The standout prospect from Buford High School will arrive on Rocky Top with a chip on his shoulder. He is hoping to prove his value is higher than what his recruiting rankings suggest.

“Honestly, I am going to say I feel like my ranking doesn’t do me justice,” Baker said of what he is looking to prove as he gets started at Tennessee. “It is understandable, but I don’t feel like that really tells the whole story. I feel like, one, they base that off of stats, and two, off of the fact I didn’t do any camps. I feel like once everyone sees me on campus and can see what I can do, and the coaches will see what they have got and feel like my value can go up even more than what it is right now.”

The Scout on Baker

“I think his first step is so powerful and explosive, once he is through the hole and sees it, I think his first step is so violent and explosive, it can push him two to three yards down the field before you can look up, just because there is so much power behind it,” Buford Running Backs Coach Fyrone Davis told Volquest last October. “His ball skills have improved tremendously in the RPO and vertical passing game. Those are things we talked about him needing to improve after his 10th-grade year, and he did it. He is a great protector and always has been. You have to be a phenomenal protector to play in college, and I think that is what Tennessee is going to love about Justin.”

The Film

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