Georgia senior Deandre Baker emerging as SEC’s top cornerback

Georgia cornerback Deandre Baker breaks up yet another pass against Tennessee in a 38-12 win Saturday at Sanford Stadium.

Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Posted 3 weeks ago

ATHENS — Georgia cornerback Deandre Baker is making a case that he’s the bet player at his position in the nation through the first third of the season.

Baker has graded out highest among cornerbacks according to Pro Football Focus college analysis.

Deandre Baker currently sits atop the leaderboards in terms of CB gradeshttps://t.co/cKXAPHpSVo pic.twitter.com/dG4celjPr7

— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 2, 2018

Deandre Baker is the nation’s highest-graded cornerbackhttps://t.co/cKXAPHpSVo pic.twitter.com/zzPYIwRcrn

— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 2, 2018

Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart, a former two-time All-SEC defensive back himself, has set the bar high for Baker throughout the season, and that won’t change this week.

Georgia (5-0, 3-0 SEC) plays host to Vanderbilt (3-2, 0-1) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday (TV: SEC Network, Radio: WSB 95.5 FM, 750 AM).

Smart explained why opposing quarterbacks continue to throw in Baker’s direction despite the senior cornerback’s glowing performance in isolated matchups with top receivers.

“Some teams throw at Bake (Deandre Baker), I mean Bake’s probably been targeted almost as much as Tyson (Campbell) has,” Smart said at his Monday press conference. “I think coverage dictates where the ball goes more than who is there. I think you guys look at it as Deandre Baker is here, they can’t throw it there. That’s not the case. I think it’s if you’re in this coverage, they’re going to throw the ball here; if you’re in this coverage, they’re going to throw the ball here.

“So the quarterback gets dictated where he’s going to throw the ball by coverage, not by person more than anything.”

Perhaps, but against South Carolina Baker shadowed Gamecocks star receiver Deebo Samuel, and the results were impressive.

South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley targeted Samuel 12 times, and the result was six catches for 33 yards — no longer than 10 yards. Five of the six incompletions wee in the first quarter as Georgia built a 14-0 lead.

Missouri receiver Emanuel Hall — the SEC’s leading receiver — was the next to get shadow treatment in the Bulldogs’ 43-29 win over the Tigers.

Missouri quarterback Drew Lock targeted Hall just twice, and Hall was unable to come up with a catch.

Lock, without his leading receiver, struggled to a 23-of-48 passing performance that netted 221 yards, failing to throw a TD pass for the first time in 14 games.

“I’d like to thank my D-Line for that,” Baker said, asked about shutting out Hall. “They got pressure on the quarterback, he had to get the ball out quicker than usual.”

Baker also had seven tackles and a fumble recovery in addition to his blanket coverage at Missouri.

“Every week I look forward to going against the top receiver on the opposite team,” Baker said.

Smart will pick and choose when that happens, the Georgia secondary filled with capable players operating at a level of complexity that keeps opposing quarterback off balance.

“He’s a very experienced player, played a lot of football around here, and he’s a competitor,” Smart said, praising Baker. “He rises to the moment, probably plays better in games than he does in practice. And plays really hard. He understands our system. He understands offensive football. And he’s playing really hard right now. He’s tackling better than he has in the past. “

Baker ranks fifth on the team with 18 tackles along with his team-high five pass breaks-ups and two interceptions.

Smart is hoping Baker can continue to evolve as a locker room presence, as well.

“We need him to be a bigger influence on some of the other DBs, a positive influence on them,” Smart said. “Whether it’s Tyson, (Eric) Stokes, Mark Webb or Ameer (Speed), he can help affect those guys.”