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4 Star Athlete Budda Baker Commits to Oregon

Baker was one of Oregon's top targets in the 2014 class.

Student Sports Photos

Oregon received a long-awaited commitment today from 4-star athlete Budda Baker, who announced his decision via Twitter:

An Army All-American, Baker earned Washington Class 3A All-State honors as a Junior after recording 81 tackles and picking off six passes (returning two for TDs) on defense. On offense, he averaged 16 yards per carry and 26 yards per catch with a total of 19 scores. A true athlete, Baker was recruited as a defensive back by most schools but will get his first shot on offense at Oregon, who recruited him as a wide receiver.

In his senior season, Baker was named the class 3A state player of the year, as well as overall player of the year in the state of Washington, as voted on by sports writers and editors from around the state. A consensus 4-star prospect, Baker is also a top 10 defensive back and top 50 overall player nationally. Those are impressive rankings but Baker could still be underrated given his locale and stature and the fact that he played in 3A in high school. Watch his video and listen to people who have seen him in person and you will know that Budda is a very special talent.

Baker told the Seattle Times that his decision to attend Oregon was made several weeks ago but that he wanted to make a few more visits to be sure he was making the right decision. Oregon's reputation for being up front and honest about opportunity and playing time also made an impression on Baker:

"They told me I'm going to have to work for it, which I really liked," Baker said. "They didn't sell me no B.S. thing, like I would start right away. They told me if I worked for it, the opportunity is there."

Baker is 5'8" and 177 lbs. He is Oregon's 16th commitment for 2014 and brings the Ducks' class ranking to #16 in the country, according to 247sports. He is Oregon's seventh 4-star recruit and second at wide receiver, where he joins fellow Army All-American Jalen Brown. In addition to Oregon, Budda had offers from USC, UCLA, Washington, Notre Dame, and Texas A&M, among others.

With Baker's commitment the Ducks are probably done at wide receiver, though 4-star receivers Frank Iheanacho and Eric Lauderdale both have offers. Always strong at closing, look for the Ducks to continue their recruiting momentum as signing day approaches.

You can watch Budda's highlight video below: