The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Baker fine-tuning his game for 2017 season
Benedictine graduate Jerome Baker said he was out of position at times last season and relied on his speed. He says he’ll be ready for opposing offenses in 2017.
Jerome Baker remembers the play well.
In a tight game against Michigan State last Nov. 19, the sophomore linebacker from Cleveland shot the A-gap and dropped the ball-carrier in his tracks.
Undoubtedly, everybody on the Ohio State sideline rejoiced. It’s safe to say Buckeye fans around the nation applauded the defensive stop, too.
Baker probably would have enjoyed the stop more if he was where he was supposed to be.
“I wasn’t even supposed to be there,” said Baker on Aug. 10 at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. “I was just lucky to be there.”
The 6-foot-2, 225-pound product of Benedictine ended the 2016 season second on the team with 83 tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss. He intercepted passes against Oklahoma and Michigan — two of Ohio State’s biggest games of the year — and was honorable mention all-Big Ten.
Imagine what Baker could have done if he was in proper position every play.
As Ohio State prepares for its season opener at Indiana on Aug. 31, Baker considers himself a more complete player than he was a year ago.
That’s both mentally and physically.
“I lined up wrong most of the time,” Baker said with a smile. “People watching it on TV don’t know that. Watching it on film, you see I lined up wrong pretty much all of the time.
“This year I am focusing on gap schemes, all that stuff.”
Baker is part of a stellar triumvirate of projected starting linebackers that also includes senior Chris Worley and junior Dante Booker.
A year ago, Baker was thrust into the starting lineup when Booker went down with what ended up to be a season-ending injury. Once Baker got into the starting lineup, he didn’t let go of the spot.
That doesn’t mean he was perfect. He was just perfect enough because of his natural ability.
Heading into this season, Baker said he can combine his book smarts with his natural ability to make for a better overall player.
“I made a lot of mistakes last year,” Baker said. “A lot of it I made up for with my speed and everything. I’m learning my position and getting better with my skills.”
A fact that linebackers coach Bill Davis says makes Baker even more dangerous than he was last season.
“With Jerome, his football IQ is high to begin with,” Davis said. “And it’s growing. When you take a fast player who is as twitched up as he is and he thinks clearly and knows what he knows, you actually increase his speed.”
Some consider that “slowing the game down.” By Baker feeling more comfortable with his scheme assignments and letting his instincts take over, slowing the game down allows him to play faster.
Which is a good thing for an Ohio State defense that wants to play extraordinarily fast this year.
“The reason you come here is your instincts,” Baker said. “But that’s not going to take you that far in the long run. Like I told (backup linebacker) Keondre (Jones), we’re fast. I know that. But we’re not going to be fast forever. If you don’t adjust (to schemes) now, later on it’s going to hurt you.”
The front seven on Ohio State’s defense is potentially one of the best in college football. Add in a defensive front that includes the likes of Tyquan Lewis, Jalyn Holmes, Nick Bosa, Tracy Sprinkle, Dre’Mont Jones and more, and there are plenty of playmakers.
A defensive line that occupies blockers and allows linebackers such as Baker, Worley and Booker to make plays is a recipe for success.
“I thank the defensive line every chance I get,” he said.
Baker said it is important for the projected starters to take every challenge in practice, and also to be interchangeable.
“A lot of people said the starting position is mine,” he said of the Will linebacker spot. “But Keondre pushes me every day. We have a lot of experience, but a lot of youth coming in that makes us better.”
On being versatile, Baker said, “Coach Davis stresses that you’ve got to know all three,” he said of the Will, Sam and Mike linebacker spots in the 4-3 set. “I know what Worley has to do, and I know what Book has to do. That helps me.”
Some experts have Baker passing up his senior year of eligibility next season and heading to the NFL. Many have him listed as a first-round draft pick in their 2018 mock drafts.
“For me personally, it drives me,” he said of such projections. “A lot of people are going off what I did last year. Me personally, I know last year was just scratching the surface. It drive me to do more, more and more.”