12/18/2019 football Edit

Notre Dame Signee Profile: OL Tosh Baker

Mike Singer • InsideNDSports

Recruiting Insider

Phoenix Pinnacle offensive tackle Tosh Baker has put pen to paper and officially signed with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Baker picked the Irish over the likes of Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State and several others.

The 6-8, 275-pounder has elite athleticism and has the ability to be a multi-year starter at tackle. Baker has the Notre Dame staff excited and rightfully so.

Baker is rated as the No. 5 offensive tackle and No. 48 overall player in the country by Rivals.

RANKINGS

Rivals: No. 3 prospect in Arizona, and No. 5 offensive tackle and No. 48 overall recruit nationally

ESPN: No. 8 recruit in Arizona, and No. 22 offensive tackle and No. 177 overall prospect in the country

STATISTICS

As a senior, Baker helped lead Pinnacle to an 8-3 record and a spot in the Arizona Open Division playoffs. Pinnacle averaged 241.3 passing yards per game and totaled 27 passing scores, while also rushing for 1,840 yards and 29 touchdowns.

NOTABLE

• Will play in the prestigious All-American Bowl Jan. 4 in San Antonio

• Also will participate in the Polynesian Bowl Jan. 18 in Honolulu

• 2019 MaxPreps Arizona All-State first-team offense

• 2019 Randall McDaniel OL Award recipient, given to top offensive lineman in Arizona

• First-team 2018 American Family Insurance All-USA Arizona high school football team

• Held offers from UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly and Hampton as a basketball recruit

• Won two basketball state titles at Pinnacle

• Averaged 9.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game as a junior

RECRUITMENT

Offer Sheet: Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, Cal, Colorado, Duke, Indiana, Kansas State, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Nebraska, North Carolina, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Oregon State, Purdue, Stanford, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, Utah, Vanderbilt, Washington and Washington State

Baker thought his college athletics career would be on the basketball court, but then he blew up as a football recruit.

He picked up a handful of big-time offers following his junior season, and Notre Dame was a school that intrigued him. The Irish offered him on Dec. 15, 2018, during a campus visit.

“After that visit, I knew Notre Dame was my top school,” Baker said. “From there, I wanted to visit other schools. I was comparing my other visits to Notre Dame. I always had Notre Dame at the top spot ever since that visit back in December.”

Baker returned to Notre Dame for another visit in March and knew the Irish would be his pick at that point. He announced his commitment to the Irish a couple of months later.

His commitment to the Irish remained solid throughout the fall and signed with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on National Signing Day.

QUOTABLE

“The academics at Notre Dame is obvious; it’s compared to an Ivy League school. They went undefeated [in 2018] in the regular season, so that’s huge too. They have great academics and can compete for a national championship. That’s huge. I loved my relationship with Jeff Quinn and meeting the other coaches. Getting to know the players was huge for me; we all hit it off really well.” — Baker

“Besides the obvious physical attributes, he’s very athletic and intelligent. He’s very cerebral. He’s like an extra coach on the field. Usually, my o-line coach will get to him, and he already knows what he needs to correct.” — Pinnacle head coach Dana Zupke

ANALYST TAKE

“He’s proved to be the most dominant tackle prospect in the state. He controls the point of attack and is technically sound. Tosh already excels as a pass blocker using his long arms, quick hands and even quick feet to hold back would-be sackers. He shows very good straight ahead speed and dominates the point of attack with his strength and leverage. A natural knee bender, he consistently drives defenders back at the point of attack in the run game.” — Tom Lemming of Prep Football Report and CBS Sports Network