Texas picked up a major commitment from offensive lineman Brandon Baker of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. Baker is the No. 1 ranked offensive tackle and No. 23 overall player in the nation, according to 2024 On3 Industry Rankings, and chose Texas over schools such as Ohio State, Southern California and Oregon.
“The development is unmatched, and the trajectory that they’re on heading into the SEC, that’s big boy ball,” Baker said about Texas during his commitment ceremony. “(Texas) recently just beat Alabama, and I could see them going to the National Championship within the next two years.”
With the addition of Baker, Texas moves up to No. 12 in the 2024 On3 recruiting rankings. Baker will join fellow five-star edge rusher Colin Simmons from Duncanville, Texas. Simmons is the No. 2 edge and No. 5 overall recruit in the country.
Texas’ top two commits share history, as Mater Dei traveled to Texas and beat Duncanville 45-3 in their sophomore seasons.
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian’s connection to the West Coast has helped establish a pipeline from California to Texas, which was a major factor in Baker’s recruitment. Early in his career, Sarkisian coached quarterbacks at USC, and his son Brady Sarkisian and teammate Spencer Shannon both attended Mater Dei before coming to Austin.
The addition of Baker to Texas marks the third five-star offensive lineman commitment for the Longhorns since the 2022 recruiting cycle under Sarkisian, following the commits of Kelvin Banks Jr. and DJ Campbell, who are both starters on the offensive line.
With the average size and weight of an SEC offensive lineman being nearly 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds, the Longhorns will need immense bulk and strength on their offensive line heading into the SEC come 2024. Just like Banks and Campbell, Baker has real potential to land a starting position early on for Texas with his mass and skillset.
“(He) plays with consistent leg drive, especially once engaged,” 247sports’ Gabe Brooks said about Baker. “(His) play strength is good and combines with size to often overwhelm smaller, overmatched defenders.”
The Longhorns will get an elite blocker with Baker, who found his home as a right tackle at Mater Dei. The 6-foot-5, 300-pound lineman is a force to be reckoned with, being impressively quick for a player of his stature.
At Mater Dei, Baker made the California All-State team in 2022 and won a state championship. The Monarchs are currently the No. 1 high school football team in the nation, according to MaxPreps.
Mater Dei is preparing to play its rival, No. 9 St. John Bosco in Bellflower, California on Friday, Oct. 13, marking Baker’s third game as a Texas commit.
