Nation's No. 1 OT Brandon Baker Lists Tennessee As "Sleeper" In His Recruitment

2024 five-star offensive tackle Brandon Baker has been trending toward the Oregon Ducks but told On3 that the Tennessee Volunteers are a "sleeper" in his recruitment.

The On3 NIL Elite Series opened yesterday, and there have been plenty of recruiting tidbits from the event. National recruiting analyst Josh Newberg put in a prediction for 2024 five-star wide receiver Mike Matthews to commit to the Tennessee Volunteers, but that wasn't the only big news on Tennessee's front. 

2024 five-star offensive tackle Brandon Baker joined Newberg and On3's J.D. Pickell to update where his recruitment stands. The Oregon Ducks and head coach Dan Lanning have done an excellent job positioning themselves for the California native. However, they haven't sealed the deal. The USC Trojans are fighting at the top of this recruitment with Oregon and have the hometown pitch on their side; Baker plays for Mater Dei High School, which produced several historic USC players over the years. He also pointed to Florida State, Georgia, and Tennessee as three schools "in the mix" right now.

No. 1 OT Brandon Baker is trending heavily toward Oregon, but he says there's TWO teams everyone is sleeping on...

FSU & Tennessee 😳

Watch his full interview: https://t.co/T5PnjTLRWs pic.twitter.com/UsbK6MP0IL

— Josh Newberg (@josh_newberg) May 31, 2023

Baker has been to Tennessee once, back at the end of March. He was on campus alongside 2024 five-star defensive end Williams Nwaneri, another high priority for Tennessee's coaching staff. The staff left an impression on both, and Nwaneri is trending Tennessee after the visit, according to 247Sports Director of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong. Baker may not get back on campus before committing - whether he does or does not likely is the difference between the Vols going even higher in his recruitment. Nonetheless, his interest off one visit reflects that Tennessee can recruit anyone in the country, even the No. 1 tackle in America that lives over 2,000 miles away.

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