Texas football is ‘making a lot of sense’ for 5-Star OT Brandon Baker

The top priority for Texas football and offensive line coach/offensive coordinator Kyle Flood in the 2024 recruiting class at offensive tackle this summer is the elite five-star Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei product Brandon Baker. The nation’s top-ranked offensive tackle recruit in the 2024 class, Baker, has Texas as one of his top schools after he officially visited Austin last month.

Baker had all positive things to say about his experience during the official visit to Texas on the weekend of June 16. He told 247Sports last month after his official visit to Texas that he thinks Flood and the Longhorns are “putting something special together” along the offensive line and that “it means something” when he talks to the third-year OL coach.

Coming out of the official visit almost one month ago, Texas made a big move among the top schools in the race to land a commitment from Baker. Texas is one of the top two or three schools in this recruitment after two successful visits (the first coming for the Texas spring game on April 15).

The ability to make an immediate impact on the offensive line and the strong academics that Texas offers appeals to Baker and his family.

With redshirt senior offensive tackle Christian Jones bound for the NFL Draft next offseason, Baker would have an opportunity to come in and push for a starting job right away as a true freshman in 2024. There isn’t a clear next offensive tackle in line to start once Jones exhausts his eligibility next offseason.

Texas football made a big impression on No. 1 2024 OT Brandon Baker on his OV this summer

Inside Texas reported on July 14 (paid content) that Texas is “making a lot of sense” for Baker and his family as he narrows down his top schools heading into the fall. Texas’s biggest competition in this recruitment heading into the fall comes from the Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes.

Oregon was the overwhelming favorite among the top schools for Baker for most of this recruitment. But Texas and Ohio State closed the gap on Oregon’s lead during the summer official visits.

Oregon still looks like the favorite with Texas making up ground in second place

While Oregon’s lead in this recruitment is shrinking, most still consider it the favorite to land Baker’s commitment. Baker has visited Eugene more often than he’s been to Texas or Ohio State. And he’s set to make a seventh visit to Oregon since last offseason when he makes the unofficial trip after the dead period ends in late July.

But if there isn’t a whole lot of smoke between Oregon and Baker coming out of that late-July visit to Eugene, that bodes well for Texas’ chances with the elite offensive tackle recruit. It sounds like a decision from Baker before the start of his senior season is still a possibility.

Flood and the Longhorns are very much alive in this recruitment heading into the fall. If Texas can beat Oregon for Baker, that would be the centerpiece of another elite offensive line class for Flood and this staff.