Joey Baker talks about picking the Jayhawks

When Lance Leipold and Scott Fuchs walked off the practice field on Friday they were greeted with some good news.

Offensive lineman Joey Baker was on the phone and delivered the news he was giving his commitment to the Jayhawks.

“They were excited,” Baker said. “They had just come off of practice this morning, because they're in camp right now. Coach Fuchs was fired up and Coach Leipold was excited.”

The Jayhawks made Baker a priority bringing him in for a visit before the dead period started at the end of July. He left with an offer from Kansas.

He took a visit to Lawrence with his family to see campus, tour the facilities and get a closer look at the Engineering school.

“I had a great time,” he said. “I really enjoyed meeting all the coaches and they are a great staff. I really think that they're some amazing coaches. I enjoyed the academics buildings too because I'm interested in Engineering and seeing the Engineering building as two massive buildings. I was like, wow. I mean, I'd never seen that before, so that was something I really enjoyed.”

When Baker returned after the visit he thought about the visit and had a strong feeling Kansas would be the call.

“I mean, I really just had been thinking about my decision and ever since my visit a couple weeks ago,” he said. “If things don't feel for right to me in my life, I tend not to do them, but this one just did. I kind of felt it as soon as I walked on the campus. I was like, ‘Oh wow. I think this might be it.’ And I guess over time, that just kind of built up and that ultimately led to my decision.”

Fuchs handled a lot of the recruiting, and Chris Simpson recruits the area.

Baker plays at Southlake Carroll, which is one of the top programs in Texas, and known nation-wide for their success. Last year Baker a first team, all district selection.

The high school season is underway for Baker, and he is glad to have a decision made and locked in with the Jayhawks.

“It feels a big relief now that my recruiting process is coming to a close, and now I have my future all planned out,” he said. “I have a path that I'm going to go on, and that's also really exciting.

“Recruiting can definitely put a lot of stress on you, especially when you're unsure of what's bound to happen. But now that I've committed, and now that’s over. I can fully now focus on my finishing my senior season, and then I can move on to Kansas.”

Baker can play several positions and said the coaching staff did not recruit him for one specific spot.