Indianapolis WR David Baker previews upcoming visit
Indianapolis native David Baker will make his way to State College this weekend for his first unofficial visit with James Franklin and his assistants.
A 6-foot-2, 190 pound receiver, Baker first developed a relationship with Gerad Parker during his time at Duke. Their bond has only strengthened in recent months, and it’s one of a few reasons why he’s is hoping to leave Happy Valley with a scholarship offer.
“He and I are pretty close,” said Baker. “I’ve had a good relationship with him ever since he was at Duke and we’ve been talking even more since then. That relationship is a big reason why I’m coming out there this weekend. Penn State has always been one of the very best in the Big Ten. They’re always consistently near the top of the league. They’re a pretty big school, so I’m looking forward to seeing everything and meeting up with Coach Parker.”
Baker currently holds scholarship offers from Cincinnati, Duke, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Purdue and Washington State, among others. He believes that Franklin and his other assistants, notably Ricky Rahne and Ja’Juan Seider, want to get to know him better before potentially offering a scholarship.
“Yeah, they’ve been saying that they want me to come out so I can meet everyone,” Baker said. “I’ve known Coach Parker, but not everyone else, so Coach Franklin wants me to come out so they can get to know me personally and not just over the phone.
“They actually did the same thing with Cole [Brevard]. They wanted him to come out before they offered and it turned out really good for Cole.”
Over the past two seasons, Baker has totaled more than 1,750 yards receiving and 25 touchdowns. Those stats have earned him multiple all-state honors, which, through different banquets and events, have given him the opportunity to get to know Brevard more.
“I’ve known Cole since middle school. He went to Immaculate Heart of Mary, which is a Northside Catholic school and I went to St. Matthew, which is also a Northside Catholic school. So, during football season, we would always play each other,” Baker explained.
“We were always friendly. We weren’t like close friends or anything, but always said hi and respected each other. But last year, we were both part of the [ALL-USA Central Indiana high school football Super Team]. We had a photo shoot that day and I talked to him a lot. Then, just a couple weeks ago, we had another banquet recognizing the all-state team and things like that. I was talking with him a lot there, too. I was actually sitting at the table right next to his. We always have good conversations. Cole is a really good guy.”
Throughout his recruitment, Baker has taken multiple unofficial visits to Indiana, Iowa and Purdue. He’s getting close to narrowing his list and setting official visits. If Penn State offers, they’ll likely earn one of those official visits.
“Just based off of everything they’ve accomplished, they would have to be in the mix,” he said, referring to Penn State. “They’re a big-time school and I already have a great relationship with Coach Parker. I’m actually getting close to setting my official visits. This will probably be the last visit I take before setting up some official visits, so we’ll see what happens. But yeah, if they offer, Penn State will definitely be in the mix.”
As of now, it’s probable that he’ll take an official visit to Washington State at some point in the coming weeks. Northwestern may also receive an official visit. Baker’s goal is to make a commitment this summer so he can focus on winning a state championship in 2019. Scecina Memorial made it to the Indiana Class 2A semifinals in 2017 and the quarterfinals in 2018.