Yesterday Coach Bill Lynch and the Indiana staff picked up their first commitment from dual threat quarterback prospect
Edward Wright Baker, a rising senior at Jeffersonville High School in Jefferson, Indiana. Last season Wright Baker led his team to the regional championship game, amassing over 3,000 yards and 40 touchdowns (20 passing, 20 rushing). The Red Devils finished with a 10-3 record overall.
IUplanet caught up today with Jeffersonville’s head coach,
Coach Steve Cooley, and he gave his own perspective on Wright Baker’s recruitment, skills, and how he could contribute for IU down the road.
On Wright Baker’s overall game:
He’s 6’2”, 200 lbs, so he’s a big physical kid who can run (he runs a 4.58 second 40-yard dash). He basically developed and worked hard to make himself into a pretty good passer. He can make plays with his feet, he can split the ball down and take off, or he can make plays with his arm throwing the ball down the field… He’s very smart, he’s got great vision, he sees the field, makes great decisions, all those things…He’s a multi-talented football player.
Edward Wright Baker
Position: Dual threat quarterback
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 200 lbs
Hometown: Jeffersonville, Indiana
Rivals.com Rankings: 3 stars
Committed to IU: 6/20/2008
On his rise to star quarterback for the Red Devils:
He played quarterback some of the time as a sophomore, we got him some experience and worked his way in there. He was just a good player, he went from being a good player as a sophomore to a difference maker as a junior, it was just a matter of maturity and being a year older. He gets better every day.
On possible comparisons between Wright Baker and Kellen Lewis:
Kellen’s had a great career so far, I’m not sure you can compare a kid in high school to really good players in the Big Ten right now. I know Edward’s a competitor, I know he’ll work at it. I know he’s bigger than Kellen at 6’2”, 200 lbs, he’s a lot bigger. Kellen’s might be a little faster, I would imagine, but as far as shifting and elusiveness in the pocket, their highlight tapes are similar. But Edward’s still a young high school player, he has years to develop and grow, get bigger and stronger, and keep on improving.
On areas of improvement for the quarterback:
It’s just anybody, high school kids going from there to the Big Ten, being able to endure the rigors of practice and spring ball and the season, you’ve got to get yourself in the best physical shape. He’ll be 215 [lbs] easy. He’s got to improve on his accuracy, on just certain throws that we try to make. If he can’t make those throws, we take them out of the play book. You want to be able to make all the throws, some kids are big, strong-armed kids who can throw all deep balls and all the outs and all that stuff. He can make all the throws, he’s just not as accurate at times as we need him to be. But he’s willing to work at it and get better.
On his arm:
He can hum it, he can launch the ball down the field. He throws well on the run, he throws well from the pocket. As far as big-time caliber 70-yard arm, no he doesn’t have one of those, but he can throw it 45-50 yards downfield with accuracy.
On his long-term potential:
As a coach, you want him to be perfect, and he strives for perfection. I think he’s improved every year, and we look forward to having a great year this year. If we improve upon what he did last year, when he gets to college, the sky’s the limit for him. He’s just got a lot of untapped potential.
On his early interest in IU:
We took some time. He was leaning that way a couple weeks ago, and I didn’t want him to just ‘hey, let’s jump all over this,’ I wanted him to go up and visit with his parents, go visit some of the other places, go visit Kentucky, go visit Purdue, go visit Louisville, go visit, if he wanted, Michigan State, all the people who had offered him. Look at their campus, and talk to their academic people. I think he just felt very comfortable with Coach Lynch and the Indiana staff.
On his decision to come here to IU:
I think he sees Indiana as a program on the rise. He sees some stability there with the coaching staff, he really likes Coach Lynch, he really likes [running backs/special teams coordinator] Coach [Dennis] Springer, I think he’s comfortable with Coach [Matt] Canada, the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach. He just felt that it was a good fit.
We’ve got two of his friends that are on the team up there, [LB] Brandon McGhee and [RB] Trea Burgess, that played for me as well. I think right now, that’s where he’s been really comfortable with the recruiting process, with Indiana. And I know they’ll take care of him academically and make sure he gets a college degree, because that’s what I care about.
On Edward Wright Baker:
He’s a great kid, he’s a great student, and he’s a great person.
Thanks to Coach Cooley for the great interview!
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