Deandre Baker was a three-star performer coming out of high school. If folks are being honest, not many of those thought he’d progress quite as far as he’s been able to do.

Lo and behold.

When the Bulldogs kick off fall camp here in a few weeks, Baker will be front and center as one of the top cornerbacks in the SEC.

As we continue our summer series updating members of the Georgia football team, we turn our attention to Baker

Tale of the tape

Height: 5-11

Weight: 185

Class: Senior

Status: Starting cornerback

STATS TO DATE 2017: Baker enjoyed a stellar season for the Bulldogs, earning second-team All-SEC honors after a year that saw him make 44 tackles while starting 14 of Georgia’s 15 games.

His three interceptions might seem modest, but he also broke up a team-high nine passes.

Three of his best games also came in three of Georgia’s biggest contests, including the SEC Championship when he recorded five tackles, including one for a 4-yard loss in Georgia’s win over Auburn.

2016

As a sophomore, Baker started seven of Georgia’s 12 games and showed signs of what was to come with three of the biggest plays of his career. Included was a 10-tackle effort against Florida, preceded by a huge forced fumble against Tennessee, and a 28-yard interception return against Louisiana. His fourth-quarter fourth-down breakup of a pass against TCU in the Liberty Bowl ended the Horned Frogs’ final drive.

2015

Baker saw action in 11 games as a freshman, mostly on special teams, making just one tackle on the year.

ACCOLADES

Although he played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, Baker was overlooked by a lot of recruiting experts, only earning three-star status and considered the 71st-best cornerback nationally.

A standout track performer, Baker did earn all-state honors in the 200- and 400-meter dash his senior year at Northwestern High in Miami.

It’s been huge.

Baker has gone from an afterthought when he first signed to a cornerback who now gets matched up against the opposing team’s best receiver and more than holds his own.

One of the hardest workers on the team, the Miami native had a chance to turn pro but decided to come back for his senior year, which is obviously great news for the Bulldogs who have to find three new starters in their secondary.

“It’s time for me to step up. I just want to get my secondary better. The guys around me before made me better because we competed in practice. So, once we get the young guys up to par, the plays, their assignments – everybody needs to play fast – do that and the other quarterback won’t know where to throw the ball.” – Deandre Baker

“I see him work every day in practice, so it wasn’t a big surprise. He’s going to put in the work.” – Teammate and roommate Juwan Taylor on Baker

There’s many.

Some things you just can’t teach, and that’s certainly true in regard to Baker, whose ability to stick and move make him one of the best corners in the SEC.

Baker’s got the uncanny ability to pivot on a dime, so even when he gets beat, he’s quickly able to make up ground on would-be receivers.

One of the hardest workers on the team, Baker is routinely praised by head coach Kirby Smart, who not only will be depending on him to help anchor his secondary, but lean on the senior to provide leadership, not only in the defensive backfield but the entire team as well.

There’s not a lot, but Baker himself will tell you he wants to do a better job of getting his hands on a few more passes than he did a season ago.

Although his three interceptions are certainly respectable, Baker feels he should have held on to at least half of his nine pass breakups.

There are still some areas in regards to run defense that he can probably improve, but that’s being a bit nit-picky considering Baker has already exceeded many of the expectations upon his signing.

Honestly, I was surprised that Baker elected to come back for his senior year, and from what we hear, so were Smart and defensive coordinator Mel Tucker.

Barring injury, there’s no reason not to expect Baker to enjoy an All-SEC type season.

While it’s almost impossible to project how many interceptions a player will corral, it won’t be a shock to see Baker pick off in the neighborhood of five passes while providing stellar play in the Bulldog secondary.