Notre Dame added its first offensive lineman commitment and 10th total pledge in the class of 2020 with Wednesday’s decision from consensus four-star tackle Tosh Baker (Pinnacle High School; Phoenix), the No. 9 tackle in the country, per rivals.com.
Baker has all the size one could ever want from a tackle, standing 6-foot-8 and 285 pounds, part of the reason he held offers from Alabama, LSU, MIchigan, Texas and all of the Pac-12. Ohio State also chased Baker, seemingly coming in second to the Irish in his recruitment.
God. Country. Notre Dame.
— Tosh Baker (@tdbakes) May 8, 2019
I’m blessed to say that I’m COMMITTED and will be furthering my academic and athletic career at the University of Notre Dame!!#IrishBouNDXX #GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/ZmP3MBisa3
In addition to his size that offers much to be molded at the collegiate level, Baker already has solid footwork in run blocking, and he uses his long reach to keep pass-rushers at bay.
He will arrive on campus as both of Notre Dame’s current starting tackles enter their final seasons of eligibility, presuming neither left tackle Liam Eichenberg nor right tackle Robert Hainsey jumps to the NFL following this year. Others will stand in the way of Baker and taking one of those spots after most likely preserving a year of eligibility as a freshman, most notably current freshman Quinn Carroll and current junior guard Aaron Banks, but Baker may be in position to have a chance at starting early on in his Irish career.
Baker’s commitment comes just days after consensus four-star defensive end Rylie Mills’ (Lake Forest H.S.; Ill.), setting the stage for a spring recruiting run, something that has become a bit of a Notre Dame staple the last few years. Mills was the fourth defensive lineman in the class, a fact not lost on Baker.
“I know there are some new defensive line commits, and that’s going to make the offensive line even better,” he told Blue & Gold Illustrated. “Getting after it in practice is going to make the games even easier.”