QB Baker sticks with UNC, touts Belichick’s vision
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Eli Lederman, ESPN Staff Writer
Four-star quarterback Bryce Baker has affirmed his commitment to North Carolina and will sign with the Tar Heels under new coach Bill Belichick, he told ESPN on Saturday.
Baker, the No. 4 dual-threat passer in the class, has been the top-ranked member of North Carolina’s 2025 recruiting class since June 2023. However, Baker did not sign with the Tar Heels during the early signing period Dec. 4-6 and remained in contact with Penn State and LSU throughout North Carolina’s weekslong coaching search, which closed Wednesday with the hiring of 72-year-old Belichick on a five-year deal.
Baker told ESPN that his decision to stick with the Tar Heels was solidified during a phone call with Belichick on Thursday night, hours after the six-time Super Bowl champion’s introductory news conference. According to Baker, the conversation with Belichick centered on the coach’s “pro” vision for the program, from player development to training to the coaching staff Belichick intends to bring to Chapel Hill.
“Their experience in the NFL is huge,” Baker said. “They’ve been on the level that I’m trying to get to. I feel like that separates them from a lot of other schools. They want to develop me, and they know the intricacies that will help me get to my goals. I feel like [Belichick] will bring in the right pieces to build around me. They’re going to make me a priority.”
A 6-foot-3 passer from Kernersville, North Carolina, Baker is ESPN’s No. 193 overall prospect in the 2025 cycle. He was a two-year starter at East Forsyth (N.C.) High School, totaling 3,099 passing yards and 36 touchdowns to four interceptions with another six rushing scores in his senior season this fall, leading the program to a 13-1 finish.
Baker, who initially committed under former coach Mack Brown, told ESPN that he plans to hold a signing ceremony Dec. 18 and will enroll at North Carolina in January. One of three unsigned members of the Tar Heels’ 2025 class entering the week, Baker represents a significant early recruiting win for Belichick.
Despite Brown’s late-November exit, Baker maintained his desire to land with the Tar Heels this month. But Baker kept his options open amid uncertainty at UNC. He visited Penn State on Nov. 30 and told ESPN that his recruitment came down to the Tar Heels and the Nittany Lions.
Baker developed a close relationship with Brown and the previous Tar Heels staff across his first 17 months pledged to the program, particularly former offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey. By Thursday night, North Carolina was an entirely different program from the one Baker initially committed to, so he entered the conversation with Belichick armed with a list of questions related to development and program direction.
While Baker said Belichick did not reveal specific plans for filling out an offensive staff, the discussion was positive and left Baker confident in a future with the Tar Heels.
“I have to trust that he’ll bring in the right pieces and the right staff to help me out as far as having success,” Baker said. “I want to get developed and be as prepared as possible so when the opportunity comes, I’m ready to seize it.”
Baker’s move leaves four-star defensive end Austin Alexander (No. 298 in the ESPN 300) and three-star in-state running back Demon June as the remaining unsigned prospects in the Tar Heels’ incoming class. North Carolina offensive linemen Austin Blaske and Aidan Banfield each withdrew their names from the transfer portal Thursday following Belichick’s hiring.
“Initial feelings are very mixed thoughts,” Alexander told ESPN this week. “There’s excitement and wonder. I’m just interested to see what’s going to happen. I do not have a timeline. I am just taking it day by day.”
Belichick’s approach to recruiting and the ultimate scope of his allure on the trail stand among the biggest questions surrounding his first foray into college football in the late stages of a nearly 50-year coaching career. In addition to closing out what’s left of the Tar Heels’ 2025 high school class, Belichick and his staff are expected to turn to the transfer portal to fill several starting roles for next fall with needs across the defense and potential to add at quarterback.
“Their experience in the NFL is huge. They’ve been on the level that I’m trying to get to. I feel like that separates them from a lot of other schools.”
Bryce Baker, on Bill Belichick and the new North Carolina staff
Belichick said Thursday that he intends to run a “pro program” at North Carolina, and he has landed in college football at a moment in which the sport’s personnel departments are shifting rapidly toward NFL-style front office models. But recruiting at the high school level remains a relational game, and how well Belichick’s eye for talent and roster construction translates from the NFL to major college football will be critical to his success with the Tar Heels.
“He was very poised and very knowledgeable. He had long answers explaining the terminology,” Baker said. “… They’re going to be bringing in more top guys. They’re going to go after the best coaches. And they’re going to get more disciplined on and off the field.”
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Jesse Rogers
CHICAGO — Los Angeles Dodgers starter Blake Snell will back off his throwing program as he continues to recover from left shoulder inflammation, according to manager Dave Roberts.
“As he was playing catch, he just didn’t feel great,” Roberts said Wednesday afternoon before the Dodgers played the Chicago Cubs. “Right now, we’re going to slow play the throwing. Will probably get it looked at again when we get back home.”
Snell, 32, has been on the injured list since early April after making just two starts for the Dodgers. He signed a five-year, $182 million contract this past offseason.
Snell, who was set to throw a bullpen session Wednesday, felt discomfort in the shoulder while playing catch Tuesday. Roberts was asked how concerning the latest setback was.
“I wouldn’t say concerning because part of the messaging from us to Blake is, it’s about later on in the season and if there’s any type of discomfort, let’s not try to fight through it,” Roberts responded.
Snell is one of several Dodgers pitchers on the mend, including left-hander Clayton Kershaw, who pitched three innings in a minor league start Tuesday, his second rehab outing this spring.
“Velocity was good,” Roberts said. “Got into the fourth inning. He’ll make a start next week. Really positive stuff.”
The Dodgers also received positive news about right-hander Tyler Glasnow after he left his last start with leg cramps. His latest bullpen session went well, according to Roberts.
Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani is throwing again after missing time on the paternity list. He’ll have another bullpen session Saturday as he recovers from elbow surgery, though the team still doesn’t have a timetable for his return to major league action.
The team was also without catcher Will Smith on Wednesday after he injured his wrist on a play at the plate in Tuesday’s loss to the Cubs.
“As he made the tag, his [left] wrist turned in and so there’s some residual soreness,” Roberts said.
Smith could get imaging done when the team returns to Los Angeles, but Roberts wasn’t overly concerned about the injury.
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Jesse Rogers
CHICAGO — Most players are happy to be done facing the Los Angeles Dodgers, but Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong might not be one of them.
The Los Angeles native has torched his childhood team this season, including Wednesday night at Wrigley Field when he went 3-for-4 with a home run, two stolen bases and a career-high four RBIs, helping the Cubs to a 7-6 win. It came one night after Chicago beat L.A. 11-10, with Crow-Armstrong contributing another home run.
He was asked Wednesday whether his production has special meaning coming against the team he used to root for.
“Absolutely,” he said. “I mean, they are regarded as the best, and I think we’ve enjoyed being able to show that we’re right there with them, and yeah, it’s always a little extra special for me getting to do it against the team I grew up going to see.”
Crow-Armstrong erased a 2-0 Cubs deficit with an opposite-field, three-run homer in the fourth inning, then added a run-scoring single an inning later, which turned out to be the final run of the night for the Cubs.
Overall, he had four home runs and nine RBIs in the seven-game season series against the Dodgers, which the Cubs won 4-3 after losing the first two games in Japan in mid-March. But that was before the Cubs’ offense took off. They’re averaging an MLB-high 6.3 runs per game.
Crow-Armstrong’s season took off as well, starting over a week ago when the teams met in Los Angeles. In the 10 games since, the 23-year-old is hitting .400 with five home runs.
“He needs to send me a bottle of wine or some golf balls with all the success he’s had,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts quipped before Wednesday’s game.
Roberts and Crow-Armstrong exchanged pleasantries before the first game of the series, as the second-year player is friends with Roberts’ son, Cole. The two played against each other growing up.
“I got a couple different connections to Doc,” Crow-Armstrong said. “He’s so great.”
That’s the same word Crow-Armstrong’s teammates are using about him as he continues to impress both at the plate and in the field. According to ESPN Research, he’s the fastest player in Cubs history to reach five home runs and 10 stolen bases, doing it in 26 games.
Plus, his pitchers love seeing him patrol center field.
“Defensively, I got to say he’s probably the best,” Wednesday’s starter, Matthew Boyd, said. “And what he’s doing at the plate is no surprise.”
Crow-Armstrong showed signs of breaking out late last year but then struggled early this season before locking in during the Cubs’ most recent road trip. He said he got “on-time” with his swing while learning how to deal with failure better. He was asked how satisfied he is with his game right now.
“If it comes out in a win, it’s very satisfactory,” he said. “It makes me feel very content. I love being able to impact it in any way I can.”
So does his manager, who called Wednesday a “wonderful game” for Crow-Armstrong.
“He made his presence felt in a big way for sure,” Craig Counsell said.
Crow-Armstrong is quickly becoming a fan favorite, as the Cubs faithful are taking to his aggressive style of play. He was asked what it’s like to hear his name chanted when he comes to the plate after producing in previous at-bats.
“I’ve tried to tune that out,” he said with a laugh. “I was actually thinking about it yesterday and I was like, I got to be 0-for-20 when they’ve chanted my name. But they continue to chant and they get behind every one of us and it’s the coolest thing.”
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