You won’t find him listed on Ticketmaster or Live Nation, but the Brady Baker summer football tour is making stops in college towns all across the area.
Even though he hasn’t reached Taylor Swift status quite yet, the James Monroe all-state lineman has received serious interest from the likes of West Virginia University and Virginia Tech to name a few.
“It is super exciting. It is kind of what you think about, but when it gets here it is kind of unreal,” Baker said.
Although successful stints at the Division I level have been on the rise in recent years, players from the Mountain State still face, well, an uphill battle for opportunities and recognition from high-level schools.
In Baker’s case, Mavericks head coach John Mustain was always of the opinion that Baker was destined for the big time college game.
“I knew he was one of those kids when he came in as a freshman, that had the potential to play at the next level,” Mustain said. “It has a lot to do with his work ethic. He has a great work ethic and he is in the weight room all the time.”
While Baker hasn’t exactly played football since he learned to walk, it has been close.
“I started playing flag football when I was three or four years old, then tackle football in the second grade. I have been playing for a while,” Baker said, smiling. “I have always been a football guy. I played other sports and I like them, but football has been my thing. I have always been a lineman kind of guy since I could walk really.”
Love for the game as a youngster, along with an early taste of success, convinced Baker that he could be something special on the gridiron.
“The last couple of years of Little League, my third, fourth and fifth grade years, I started playing some travel tournaments,” Baker recalled. “I could really see myself being able to compete with other guys all across the country. It gave me the feeling I could really do this.”
Naturally entering high school, Baker’s talent was raw, but the work ethic his coach referenced turned raw into beast-mode.
“I feel like my freshman year I just used my athleticism and my size. Now we are fixing some things with my technique and I’m getting a lot better at that sort of thing,” Baker said. “Obviously I am bigger, faster and stronger than I was as a freshman, but the biggest improvement I would say is in technique.”
Numerous visits to various football camps were a major contributor to Baker’s emphasis on better footwork and better technique.
“When you get to college, it is so much more of a technical game. There are so many little details that you have to perfect,” Baker explained. “That is the biggest thing. At the end of the camps, I ask coaches what I can work on to get better, so I can go back home and work on those things.”
Improved technique and footwork may have been most notably on display last year for Baker, oddly enough, on the hardwood. His work down on the low block helped lead James Monroe to a third straight regional title and subsequent state tournament berth.
“Brady has been a big key. We have been able to create an inside-out game with him that has opened up our offense,” former Mavericks boys basketball head coach Matt Sauvage said. “But not only that, on the defensive end, we don’t have to double as much in the post which helps out our perimeter defense.”
Baker earned first team all-state football honors the last two seasons and has helped lead James Monroe to the state football playoff each of the last three years. Two years ago, the Mavs played in the state championship game.
Making a fourth straight trip to the postseason, however, will not be an easy task with heavy losses on the line.
Jackson Phipps, who was selected for the North-South All-star game, Jacob Hall, Ashton Evans and Justin Feamster have all been lost to graduation.
Mustain is looking for Baker to be the glue for the new group of trench warriors.
“He has been a good leader out on the field and I really expect to see that out of him this year being a senior. Sometimes kids don’t come out of that shell until they are a senior, but I feel like he has been leading for the last couple of years,” Mustain said. “We have a lot of young kids and we lost a lot of leadership. We had several former players starting or playing pretty regular since they were a freshman. It is very important to have that type of leadership from Brady and (starting quarterback) Layton (Dowdy) both.”
Baker admits that the losses along the line will be tough to replace, but he also knows it is time for the next group to step up and take their place.
“Those were big time starters for us that were really reliable and consistent. I hope the younger guys have learned from them and can take a page out of their book this year,” Baker said. “The younger guys have had good attendance over the summer, so it has been good to get them in here. They have worked hard. Last year they grew a lot from the beginning to the end of the year.”
Before he sets his sights fully on the 2024 football season, Baker will continue making the college rounds over the summer. Elon, Appalachian State, Youngstown State and another stop in Blacksburg are all on the itinerary.
“The big-time recognition started to pick-up about this time last summer. Now it is really picking up and it’s the most it has ever been,” Baker said. “I don’t have it narrowed down right now. I just want to go to a school that really wants me. I am going to take my visits and do the camps and see what happens.”
Baker attended a one-day camp at West Virginia University back in June and impressed offensive line coach Matt Moore enough to garner a preferred walk-on offer from the Mountaineers.
There is little doubt other offers will follow for the two-time all-stater, but should one come from Blacksburg, the Hokies could have a slight advantage over the field.
“If I had to pick one it would be Virginia Tech,” Baker said. “I am only 30 minutes away from Blacksburg and I grew up a Tech fan. That would be No. 1.”
James Monroe opens the 2024 football campaign Friday, Aug. 30 against Wheeling Central Catholic in Lindside.
