East Mississippi Community College sophomore running back Preston Baker nailed down his next destination Saturday, verbally committing to play football at the University of Tennessee at Martin.
“This is a great opportunity for me, and I am looking forward to the challenge,” Baker said. “I enjoyed my time there (on an official visit), and I think this will be a chance to help me grown as a person and as a player.”
This season, Baker rushed 119 times for 615 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was the leading rusher on an EMCC squad that went 12-0 and repeated as the National Junior College Athletic Association national champions.
Baker finished his two-year EMCC career with 1,096 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. This season, Baker also was used as a receiving target out of the backfield. He had 21 catches for 227 yards and three touchdowns.
“When you first start playing, everybody wants a chance to play senior college football,” Baker said. “I really learned a lot about myself the last two years. It is fun to win games and win championships, but I feel like I gained a lot of brothers I will know for the rest of my life.
“The coaches really worked hard with me on becoming a better player and a better person. To see the hard work payoff is humbling.”
At Starkville High School, Baker ran for 867 yards and 10 touchdowns during an All-State campaign in his senior season. Starkville finished 12-3 and won the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A state championship in 2012.
“Preston is one of the most coachable players we have ever had,” EMCC offensive coordinator Marcus Wood said. “He had such a great work ethic, and he was always determined to be an even better player the next day, whether it was film, weights, practice. He was such a team player and really did great in the leadership role this past year as a sophomore.”
In other EMCC news, the coaches also indicated freshman wide receiver Camion Patrick will be eligible to play senior college ball after the spring semester ends. His current lean is Auburn.
Baker and Patrick are slated to complete course work at EMCC in May and will be able to sign on the Feb. 4 National Signing Day.
In other recruiting news, Starkville High School wide receiver Raphael Leonard announced a verbal commitment to Florida Atlantic University on his personal Twitter account Friday night.
“This is a dream come true for me,” Leonard said. “I have always worked hard to become a Division I athlete. This will be an opportunity to stay fairly close to home. We had a lot of good times at Starkville, and they helped prepare me for this moment.”
Leonard had 67 catches for 1,266 yards and 15 touchdowns in earning Mississippi Association of Coaches Class 6A All-State honors. Also named to The Dispatch’s All-Area team this past fall, Leonard earned Team Mississippi Most Valuable Player honors after he had four catches for 44 yards and two touchdowns in the Mississippi-Alabama Shrine Classic in December.
Leonard chose FAU over Troy and Louisiana-Monroe after taking an official visit earlier this month.
Starkville finished 13-1 and played for the MHSAA Class 6A North State championship this season. Quarterback Brady Davis is a Memphis commitment off that team.
Former Starkville High School standout Jaquez Johnson, who also played at EMCC, is the projected starter at quarterback for the 2015 season at FAU.
Davis and Leonard are expected to sign Feb. 4.
Follow Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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