Former Alabama receiver announces transfer commitment to SEC East contender
Former Alabama wide receiver Javon Baker officially announced his transfer destination on Friday afternoon, On3’s Matt Zenitz reported. Baker announced that he’ll be taking his talents to the University of Kentucky, he posted on his Instagram page.
The talented receiver was a former four-star recruit coming out of high school in the 2020 recruiting class. During his sophomore season this year with Alabama, Baker hauled in seven catches for 101 receiving yards and one touchdown.
His best game came on Sept. 25 against Southern Miss, when he snagged two catches for 59 receiving yards and a touchdown. Alabama head coach Nick Saban praised Baker following his team’s blowout victory over New Mexico State.
On3’s Adam Luckett reported that Baker could be a potential transfer target for the Wildcats a week ago, and he nailed this one, as the former Crimson Tide receiver made it official today.
Thanks to the extra year of eligibility due to Covid-19, Baker will have three years of eligibility remaining with Kentucky. Last season, as a true freshman, he played significant minutes as he had to step up in the place of injured Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. He also saw significant time during the College Football Playoff this season, once John Metchie III was injured in the SEC Championship Game.
During the transfer recruitment process, Baker also visited Florida and Ole Miss. When he first chose Alabama coming out of McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.), he picked them over Ohio State, Florida, Auburn, Michigan, and others.
Baker showed off his athleticism once Alabama won the national title
Baker, like most of Alabama’s roster under Nick Saban since 2007, is a pretty incredible athlete. He did a cartwheel into a backflip once the Crimson Tide won the 2021 National Championship over Ohio State.
That’s a pretty amazing display of athleticism following Alabama’s 52-24 beatdown of Ohio State.
Not only that, Baker did the backflip like it was nothing. He made it seem routine and effortless. Kentucky fans have every reason to be excited about landing him. He’ll be an explosive athlete in the passing attack for the Wildcats and their quarterback Will Levis for the 2022-2023 season.