Dorian Baker will add size to UK football receiving corp

By Matt Overing | Football beat writer

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UK head football coach Mark Stoops wants his team to be bigger and stronger next season.

Wide receiver Dorian Baker of Cleveland, Ohio, could help in that regard, according to Cleveland Heights High School head coach, Jeff Rotsky.

“I’m not sure how many guys UK has that are 6 feet 3 inches or 6 feet 4 inches that will play over 200 pounds and run a 4.5 or better,” Rotsky said.

The closest comparison Baker may have to a current UK wide receiver is in freshman Alexander Montgomery (6 feet 2 inches, 210 pounds). Montgomery tore his ACL and missed the final four games of the 2013 season.

Montgomery was one of Stoops’ class of 2013 signees.

Rotsky said he’s impressed with the way Stoops has recruited and that the strong 2014 recruiting class played a part in Baker’s commitment.

“Coach Stoops is an Ohio guy,” Rotsky said. “I think Dorian will enjoy playing for Coach Stoops, to be a part of a family and something special. UK has a great recruiting class coming in. I think that was also intriguing.”

Baker joins four other wide receivers in UK’s Class of 2014: T.V. Williams (McKinney, Texas), Thaddeus Snodgrass (Springfield, Ohio), Garrett Johnson (Winter Garden, Fla.) and Blake Bone (Woodruff, S.C.).

Williams and Snodgrass will be early enrollees. They will be on campus next semester.

Stoops said this season that UK needs more size on its roster.

“We need to continue to get bigger across the board,” Stoops said. “I think we’re addressing some needs at wide receiver.”

Rotsky compared Baker to Detroit Lions standout Calvin Johnson.

“I don’t want to say he’s the next ‘Megatron,’ but he’s got that kind of build,” Rotsky said. “He can run. Guys that big can’t run, but he can.”

Rotsky said that Baker is willing to grow in any role.

“When he transferred in 2012, he bought in to everything that we asked him to do,” Rotsky said. “He can play inside or outside. We move him around, create mismatches with him in our system. He’s going to come to Lexington and work.”

Baker committed to UK on Oct. 20. He also held offers from the University of Illinois and Vanderbilt University, among other schools.