Tosh Baker's Loyalty to Notre Dame Deserves Applause

Tosh Baker had every opportunity to leave South Bend in search of guaranteed playing time. He's still around.

Tosh Baker OL of the Fighting Irish at practice at the Fighting Irish Athletic Center at Notre Dame on Thursday July 27, 2023. / MATTIE NERETIN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Choosing to stay and battle is the ultimate Fighting Irish trait

Tosh Baker's Notre Dame journey has been anything but easy.

He has won starting roles, lost them, won them back, and lost them yet again.

This has been the up-and-down journey of Notre Dame super-senior Tosh Baker who finds himself battling to take over the starting LT spot due to Charles Jagusah's season-ending camp injury.

Multiple times throughout his matriculation through Notre Dame, including just this last spring, Baker had chances to leave Notre Dame, where he knew he wouldn't be a starter or at the very least would be in a fierce battle for playing time, but he didn't.

Rather than hitting the portal in search of smoother seas and a more likely road to a guaranteed starting position, he chose to fight it out in South Bend.

Clocking in.#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/WwJ7XSkOLw

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) June 22, 2021

Respect earned no matter how 2024 goes

Baker seems to be in position to be the starting left tackle now that Jagusah is out for the season.

I'm not sure whether this will end up working out great for the team or for Tosh personally in the long run, that remains to be seen. Tosh Baker for sticking it out at Notre Dame his entire career.

In a world where it seems most people simply opt for the path of least resistance through life, it's very refreshing to see a young man choose to do something the hard way.

It'd be great to see this level of dedication to the cause pay off for Tosh and the Notre Dame program in 2024 with a great season where the offensive line provides a rock solid foundation.

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