Better Know a Buckeye: Jerome Baker

The 15th installment of the Better Know a Buckeye series continues with a profile of the third and final linebacker Ohio State recruited into its class. While Jerome Baker initially attracted attention as a potential running back or multi-purpose athlete, he is likely to join Nick Conner and Justin Hilliard in Luke Fickell's linebacker rotation.

While Ohio State fans should first think of Baker as the second-best overall prospect in Ohio State's recruiting class, his peculiar decision to commit to Florida last summer may come to mind first. Fortunately, Baker had a change of heart two months later and flipped to Ohio State near the end of October.

I retell Baker's recruitment below and the indirect route Baker took toward signing a letter of intent to sign with Ohio State. Thereafter, I provide a scouting report of Baker, detailing strengths and areas for improvement. I project whether Baker will redshirt in 2015 before concluding with highlight film for the reader to watch.

HIS RECRUITMENT

That Ohio State was Jerome Baker's first scholarship offer belies how Jerome Baker's recruitment unfolded in the following year and a half. Ohio State's offer on April 21, 2013 was succeeded by offers from Florida, Louisville, and Penn State, but the Ohio State offer had special significance. Baker, like many prospects from Northeast Ohio, self-identified as an Ohio State fan in his youth and was ecstatic about the offer.

The 12-month window that followed saw Baker acquire offers from programs across the country. Most of the Big Ten, with the curious exception of Michigan, offered him. Tennessee offered on May 7, 2013 and would become an important player in his recruitment in the spring of 2014. Baker even acquired some marquee offers from programs like Florida State, Georgia, and Notre Dame, though none of those programs appeared to be significant in influencing his recruitment. At the time, Baker thought he would take his official visits and commit after his senior season. In the meantime, Baker was enjoying the recruiting process even if coaches and recruiting analysts were uniform in their predictions that Baker would eventually commit to Ohio State.

A road trip to the South last spring changed the expected course of Baker's recruitment. This road trip included stops in Gainesville and Knoxville and resulted in Baker effusively praising these college towns and the football programs and universities they host. On April 21, 2014, Baker announced that he was focusing on just three schools: Florida, Ohio State, and Tennessee. He also mentioned a list of eight schools that were still "in it" and it is conceivable that Tennessee's inclusion in that list was derivative of the recent visit and would not resonate when he returned home. Whatever the case, Baker now eyed an announcement date of July 11, 2014 with those schools in mind.

Ohio State was still the consensus selection at this point. Entering July, not one recruiting analyst affiliated with 247sports deviated from a crystal ball prediction of Baker to Ohio State. This gradually changed. Our own Jeremy Birmingham was among those whose sources spoke of credible smoke that may signal that Jerome Baker would select Florida over Ohio State during his commitment ceremony.

Lots of smoke regarding #Buckeyes target Jerome Baker and #Florida - #Gators gonna pull off the upset?

— Jeremy Birmingham (@Birm) July 7, 2014

Well-sourced recruiting analysts changed their crystal ball predictions to Florida before Baker's commitment ceremony. Even if a clear majority still expected the pick to Ohio State, there was no consensus among recruiting analysts and no certainty from the coaching staff either.

On July 11 last year, Baker confirmed the most recent suspicions among recruiting analysts that he was en route to Florida. He selected the Gators in a commitment ceremony that was conspicuous on two accounts. One, Baker fielded no questions about why he chose Florida over Ohio State. Two, Baker himself did not immediately offer a rationale behind the decision.

Such a commitment from Baker, all else equal, means nothing to a coaching staff that prides itself on being assertive to the point of aggressive on the recruiting trail. For a top-notch prospect like Baker, Ohio State's coaches would continue to pursue him. Further, Baker's selection of Florida was already questionable. The Gators finished 2013 with a 5-7 season, and there were gloomy expectations of 2014 being Will Muschamp's last season in Gainesville.

Had Florida rebounded from 2013 with a season that would allow Muschamp to continue in Gainesville, Baker would have likely remained a Florida pledge. Instead, Florida started its season with a rain-out against Idaho, a 65-0 consumption of a MAC snack, a three-overtime near-loss at home against lowly Kentucky, and a three-touchdown loss to Alabama in Tuscaloosa. With Florida struggling, Jerome Baker was open to look around and reconsider Ohio State.

On Sept. 22, Baker informed Eleven Warriors he was coming to Ohio Stadium for the Ohio State-Cincinnati game. Baker attended the game, and what looked like a fait accompli in 2013 and the first half of 2014 actually became so in September and October. Flipping to Ohio State was the only logical conclusion; one source close to the situation agreed with this assessment.

"I know (Baker) is wanting to take his time, to make his visits, and he should," one source shared. "But eventually, everyone believes this will end up with him in Columbus and signing with the Buckeyes. Florida was a real, legitimate option but the struggles down there don't appear to be getting any better. I used to think that (Florida head coach Will) Muschamp's job being saved would keep Baker in their class, but I don't anymore."

Baker was diligent before switching his verbal commitment. Urban Meyer made an in-home visit in early October, just a day before Baker made an official visit to Florida to see the Gators lose to LSU. Ten days later, Baker made up his mind.

HIS COMMITMENT

On October 22, 2014, Jerome Baker tweeted his change of plans for college.

I am officially flipping my commitment from Florida to THE Ohio State University. Thanks for all your support. pic.twitter.com/WxrvliX74Y

— The Jerome Baker Jr. (@Lastname_Baker) October 22, 2014

In a Plain Dealer feature published a week after Baker flipped from Florida to Ohio State, Baker detailed how Ohio State was able to secure a change of Baker's heart. Ohio State pressured Baker without "pressuring" him, content with knowing in July how things would unfold in the fall.

Baker's commitment to Ohio State allowed him to devote his energies to securing Division IV state championship for Benedictine. Baker also became the first alumnus of the program to sign a football letter of intent with Ohio State since 1997.

WHERE HE EXCELS

Jerome Baker would be an okay college running back, but he lacks a lot of the change-of-direction skills and burst for the position that would allow him to thrive on offense. Baker, though listed as an "athlete" by 247, will be a linebacker this fall.

Baker, the no. 2 prospect in Ohio State's class, has a lot in common with Justin Hilliard, the no. 1 prospect. Both are weakside linebacker prospects. Both are small, not particularly long, and their frames are effectively maxed right now. Both share phenomenal bursts attacking downhill and both close and tackle well.

Baker is a speedy linebacker, but he shows solid instincts as well. He knows how to move through traffic at the line of scrimmage, and he does a great job reading pin-and-pull techniques from offensive linemen. This allows him to make the most of his speed to outrun blocks before they form.

MUST WORK ON

Jerome Baker and Justin Hilliard play the same position and played it in almost the same fashion in high school. If Hilliard is measurably better than Baker, it may be because of how Baker disengages from blocks. Hilliard uses his body to angle away blocks and minimize what an offensive scheme is trying to do to linebackers. Baker is okay in this regard, but his preferred strategy is to outrun the blocker. It will be much tougher to do this in college, even against lesser programs in league play.

If Baker needs to show an ability and strength to take on blockers and disengage from them, it is not obvious how much bigger he can get toward that end. He is listed at 6-2 and 203 pounds now. If he plays at 220, he may lose some agility and sideline-to-sideline ability. Baker is good in this regard, but more weight may compromise this.

REDSHIRT?

Right now, I think Baker and Hilliard are too promising to keep off the field in 2015. The linebacker rotation may be set at the top, but depth below it is an open question. Further, Baker should thrive on special teams as a true freshman.

HIGHLIGHTS

This is from his senior year, though it includes both offensive and defensive highlights.

You can watch dedicated senior-year highlights on defense below.