BOOKER: Redshirt junior eager to contribute
“I lined up wrong most of the time (last year),” Baker said. “People watching on TV don’t notice it. Watching film, you see it. This year, I’m lined up correctly and focused on my gap scheme and all that.”
Baker stepped into the starting lineup when Dante Booker injured his knee in the season opener against Bowling Green. In Baker’s second start, he returned an interception 68 yards for a touchdown against Oklahoma.
WORLEY: Senior enjoying his journey
Baker will meet Oklahoma and another player named Baker, quarterback Baker Mayfield, again on Sept. 9 when the Sooners visit Ohio Stadium.
“My biggest motivation in that game was, ‘His name is Baker,’” Jerome Baker said. “It was like, ‘I’m the real Baker.’ That was my personal motivation.”
Playing aside Booker and Chris Worley motivates Baker as well. The tree Ohio natives are expected to start in the secondary when the season opens Aug. 31 at Indiana.
OFFENSIVE LINE: Unit should have more depth
Baker is from Cleveland Benedictine. Booker, a redshirt junior, graduated from Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary. Worley, a fifth-year senior, comes from Cleveland Glenville.
“That shows Ohio has the best football in the country,” Baker said. “It’s definitely fun. It’s definitely exciting. Worley was my big brother when I came here to play. Playing beside him is pretty cool. The best thing about us is we’re very close. That’s what makes us a great team. We’ve seen each other grow up. It’s fun to know these guys are my brothers.”
Now that Baker has a better understanding of where he needs to be every play, he should be in a better position to make more big plays. Last year, he sometimes made plays when he was out of position.
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