When California fired football coach Justin Wilcox after nine seasons, the hits started in terms of recruiting. Class of 2027 commit, Broncs Baker, a three-star linebacker from Utah, de-committed from the Golden Bears right before Thanksgiving.
Reopening a recruitment can never be easy, but being in the Class of 2027, it makes it easier than if he were in the Class of 2026. He has an extra year to figure things out, but as you could expect, soon after he de-committed, he started hearing from other schools.
One school that has recently gotten into the mix is James Franklin, Brent Pry, and Virginia Tech. It should not be surprising that they got into the mix, and especially Pry. After being fired from Virginia Tech in September after a Week 3 loss to Old Dominion, Pry has been brought back to Blacksburg and will be Franklin's defensive coordinator and linebackers coach beginning in 2026. Both have reached out to Baker and are very much in the mix for him.
Virginia Tech offers 3-star LB from Utah, Broncs Baker
The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Baker had 66 tackles, 10 for a loss and two sacks last fall as a junior at Tooele Stansbury High School. Since reopening his recruiting, he has picked up five new offers, including one from the Hokies.
Baker also holds offers from Michigan, Washington State, West Virginia, Oregon State, Boise State, and Virginia Tech. It is not surprising that Michigan would get involved as Kyle Whittingham, who is replacing Sherrone Moore, who was let go in December. Whittingham is the former coach at Utah before landing in Ann Arbor.
As for Virginia Tech, Baker would be a good get, and expect Pry and Franklin to make him a priority. During their days together at Penn State, they had some very good linebackers, and Baker would be a good one. Why? As Baker said, “They speak my language”.