‘That thing will probably get dicey at some point’ – Tennessee is going to have a fight on its hands to keep an important player
The Tennessee Volunteers may have some trouble hanging on to a talented under-the-radar quarterback commit that the program received a commitment from earlier this offseason.
The Tennessee Vols may have some trouble holding on to a 2027 commit that Josh Heupel and his offensive staff like a lot.
Earlier this offseason, 2027 three-star quarterback Derrick Baker, 6-foot-1/226 pounds from Alpharetta, GA, committed to Tennessee. Baker didn’t play much as a junior due to injury, so it’s considered likely that he’ll climb the recruiting rankings with a solid senior season.
As a result, other programs are expected to try to flip him from Tennessee.
Tennessee’s quarterback play this fall could determine if Derrick Baker sticks with the Vols
One interesting thing that could determine whether the Vols hang on to Baker is the play of Tennessee’s quarterbacks this fall.
If either redshirt freshman George MacIntyre or true freshman Faizon Brandon takes hold of the job and becomes “the undisputed guy”, it could lead to Baker seeing a better opportunity elsewhere (especially if Brandon proves to be the guy, because he’ll have at least two more years in college after the 2026 season).
“Derrick will be here this weekend for his official visit to Tennessee,” said VolQuest’s Austin Price Wednesday on WNML’s Josh and Swain. “Everybody’s going to keep swinging at that kid. That thing, to me, will probably get dicey at some point. Because he’s going to play this fall. He didn’t play a lot, basically any, last year. And if he puts together really good tape, you’re going to see a quarterback-hungry team or two come calling and trying to pry him away. Especially if Faizon or George is as good as advertised. Because they are both going to be in basically in year one (as a starter).”
There’s not much that Heupel and Tennessee can do in this situation — it’s just the current state of college football.
Ultimately, though, if Baker flips from the Vols later this fall, it probably means that either Brandon or MacIntyre had a tremendous season, and I think any Tennessee fan would sign up for that trade-off.