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I could be wrong. My interpretation is that Stoops pulled back, and is not recruiting Baker anymore. Maybe this was because Stoops likes other running backs on his board better. Maybe Neal's departure disappointed Baker. Maybe Dawson's arrival had something to do with it, since Dawson has his own ideas about fitting backs into his offense. Maybe Baker was upset when Stoops accepted Snell's commitment. Or maybe Baker just prefers other programs. It could be any of those things, or something else. Whatever the reason, it looks like Baker won't play for Kentucky, and I doubt this will be a problem. Stoops has shown that he knows how to recruit.Just wondering since I saw he ran a 10.79 100 meters yesterday...which is fast
All of that is bound to be true. But this is the reality of modern recruiting. If Stoops considered Baker an essential recruit, he would fight through all of that and stay on Baker. Kids do what Baker did all the time. Stoops took multiple recruits in the last class who originally committed to other programs. If this was a matter of principle with Stoops, he would not have signed Brown, Gosier, Westry in February. I suspect Stoops likes other players on his board better, and Dawson is influencing the decision. But it's also possible that Baker was indecisive and Stoops just decided to move on. If it was between Baker and Snell, I vote for Snell. If it was between Baker and Rose, I vote for Rose. There is a lot to be said for speed, but we already have a lot of speed in our backfield with Boom and King. Randall Cobb was 1 of the slowest receivers on our team in the 40.Maybe Stoops thinks when a Kentucky player and a UK legacy gives his commitment Stoops expects that player to keep his word. Maybe Stoops has a bad taste in his mouth after the Harris BS.
Rose and Snell are pretty good too. I see that you consider Baker a decent receiver. I have heard some concerns that his receiver skills are pretty raw, and might not translate very well in our offense. Also heard concerns about his durability playing against bigger college players. No doubt he is fast. But like several other posters said, Baker had a seat on the bus in Lexington and then apparently did something to give it up. Wish him well.Don't know about the other backs we've recruited or how many backs UK plans to take, but Baker is plenty good enough to play at UK, and has the potential to excel. Have seen him play several times. Not only is he fast, he sees the field well, he's explosive, he rarely goes down with first contact, and he is a decent to good receiver.
I think he was not quite a priority SEC level back to begin with who got an early offer partially as a legacy and then pulled back when the going got tough here and Brown left. I think his decommitment and then visit to UL left a bad taste in the staff's mouth and they moved on. Other guys seem to have taken his spot. It looks like Marshall is his best offer at present. This boat has probably sailed.
Plenty of fast high school players do not become good college players. It takes more. Marvin Love, Draak Davis, John Logan all sub 4.4, could not handle SEC football. Stoops already has commitments from 2 Ohio running backs, Snell and Rose. Stoops and Dawson like Snell and Rose better than Baker. I don't know whether Baker ever had a committable Kentucky offer, but he doesn't have 1 now.Just wondering since I saw he ran a 10.79 100 meters yesterday...which is fast
I have no idea whether he is SEC caliber, but being a legacy recruit probably helped him land the offer.
In one post you said to trust the staff, which I do. Now you say that you have no idea whether he is sec caliber and may have been offered due to his father's legacy at UK. I don't personally know him, but I do know Al, Quinton is sec caliber and is garnering attention from other sec schools. It would be a shame to let someone of his caliber get away due to petty nonsense.
I trust our staff in evaluating recruits, but they did offer him early, so the idea that he isn't sec caliber goes away from the idea of trusting our staff, considering UK was one of his first offers. He reopened his recruitment when Neil Brown left, once he did that it seems the coaching staff has forgot about him. Unfortunately other sec schools (amoung others) are showing major interest.
You keep saying you trust the staff.. The staff offered him a full ride. He accepted, then reopened his recruitment once Brown left. For whatever reason you seem to think he's not good enough to play in the sec since he no longer has an offer listed on the internet from sec schools.
Like I said he's been tearing up the camps and has bulked up a bit since the cats originally offered him. I know Tennessee and ole miss both have interest in him. So apparently a few people think he is sec caliber.
Nobody is saying Baker isn't SEC caliber, but I suspect your Tennessee prediction probably won't pan out. Stoops apparently likes Snell and Rose better than Baker. You can't get away with saying fans turned on Baker because we didn't land him, when the evidence suggests the opposite. Baker verbally committed to Kentucky, but de-committed around the time Snell committed. This suggests either Stoops decided to go with Snell and Rose, or else Baker changed his mind around that time, maybe because of Snell. I haven't seen any Kentucky fans turn on Baker. But it is true that speed alone does not make an SEC football player. Doesn't mean Baker is or isn't an SEC level talent. But it takes more than speed.Baker did have a committable offer, before Snell and Rose I believe. Obviously the staff must have seen something in him or they wouldn't have offered a full ride so early. It is what it is, he probably won't end up at Kentucky, but to say he isn't sec caliber because we didn't land him is a bit of a stretch, after all we did offer him a full ride. My guess is he ends up at Tennessee.
Don't know about the other backs we've recruited or how many backs UK plans to take, but Baker is plenty good enough to play at UK, and has the potential to excel. Have seen him play several times. Not only is he fast, he sees the field well, he's explosive, he rarely goes down with first contact, and he is a decent to good receiver.
Honestly I don't think Stoops plays any of those games, like has been mentioned. He's been in or around coaching all of his life and has seen these situations thousands of times in his life. He is all about hopefully getting the right kid who is talented but also wants to be a part of his team no matter what state he is from. And we have to understand, Baker may not want to be at Kentucky which is another possible reason why he decommitted. I hope he does well wherever he goes but like with the Harris kid, the staff won't quell on it, they will move on and say next.