Georgia Football and head coach Kirby Smart appear to be making a run at one of Tennessee’s committed prospects in the 2027 recruiting class. According to a report from Rivals, the Bulldogs extended an offer to Tennessee quarterback commit Derrick Baker on Wednesday. Baker originally pledged his commitment to the Vols on Feb. 11, 2026.
The Bulldogs are the in-state team in the race. Baker currently plays at Milton High School in Milton, GA, which is about three hours away from Knoxville and just under two hours from Athens.
While on a visit to Knoxville during Tennessee’s spring camp, Baker posted a picture of himself and head coach Josh Heupel on Instagram. In the caption, Baker wrote that Tennessee is “the dream university” and that “this environment is just different.” That post came about five weeks before receiving an offer from the in-state Bulldogs.
According to Rivals’ Industry Rankings, Baker is tabbed as a three-star prospect. He’s also listed as the No. 594 player in the class, the No. 38 quarterback in the cycle, and the No. 64 player from the state of Georgia. Along with Tennessee and Georgia, he’s already received offers from Auburn, Florida State, Indiana, Kentucky, Miami, Ole Miss, Ohio State, South Carolina, and Virginia, to name a few.
While he’s ranked right inside the Top 600 right now, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see his ranking increase as the cycle matures. The 6-foot-1 quarterback has been a rising star in different offseason camps and tournaments and continues to put his name on the map in a growing way.
Back in early March, Baker helped lead his 7-on-7 team to the 18U Division championship in ‘The Sevens’ tournament. He played for former Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton’s team in the event. Then, just a week later, Baker put together a strong performance in an Elite 11 workout in Atlanta.
Tennessee 2027 QB commit @derrickbakerQb1 working at the Elite 11 today in Atlanta.
They don’t build QBs like that. Not just anymore. Never.
He should have a big senior year with @CoachBenReaves and @OCCoachJack at Milton. 🎬 pic.twitter.com/71WOKcl2Uv
— Jeff Sentell (@jeffsentell) March 7, 2026
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Baker is one of seven players committed to the Vols’ 2027 class and is the lone quarterback in the group. Georgia, which also has seven commitments in the cycle, does not have a commit at the quarterback position yet. The Bulldogs’ class is offensively heavy right now, with six of its seven commits on the offensive side of the ball.
Tennessee’s class currently includes four-star WR Kesean Bowman, four-star OT Princeton Uwaifo, four-star DL Kadin Fife, three-star safety Jaden Butler, three-star LB JP Peace, three-star CB Carter Jamison, and Baker. Rivals has Tennessee’s class ranked 24th in the nation and ninth in the SEC at this point in time.
Judging by social media posts, Baker appears to have a strong relationship with head coach Josh Heupel and UT quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle. Will that be enough to thwart the Bulldogs’ in-state efforts? We’ll just have to wait and see.
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