Following the departure of not only Lane Kiffin, but several members of their offensive staff, Ole Miss has finally announced a new offensive coordinator to take over for Charlie Weis Jr. That name is John David Baker. For many Rebel fans, this announcement may not come as much surprise, given his past. For most others, that name may not actually mean all that much.
Given the new chapter at Ole Miss, it’s important to know who the new guy on staff is. So who is Baker, and what is his hiring going to be able to bring to Oxford for the Rebels?
What We Know About John David Baker
Who He Is
Despite being extremely young, Baker has already made plenty of stops throughout his career. Following playing quarterback at Abilene Christian for four seasons from 2010-2013, he played for two indoor leagues before diving into coaching. His coaching career started as a graduate assistant at Abilene Christian while he was still playing indoor football. Following his stint as a grad assistant, he moved on to North Texas, where he served as an offensive quality control coach from 2016-2018. While there, the Mean Green made a bowl game every season. On top of that, they finished in the top 25 nationally in essentially every major statistical offensive category.
From there, he made his first move out of the state of Texas. For the 2019 season, he was an offensive quality control analyst at USC. In 2020, he stayed in Los Angeles, serving as the Trojans’ tight ends coach.
That’s when Ole Miss fans became aware of Baker. For the 2021 season, Kiffin brought him to Oxford, where he served as tight ends coach and the Rebels’ passing game coordinator. His first season at Ole Miss saw them lead the SEC in total offense. He was then promoted to co-offensive coordinator in 2022, which he served for two seasons.
Baker then moved on to becoming the offensive coordinator at East Carolina, where he’s stayed for the past two seasons. Prior to his arrival in Greenville, the Pirates averaged only 17 points per game. In his two seasons as a Pirate, that number has shot up to 32 points per game in 2024 and 33.5 points per contest this season. That stat alone shows the potential he brings as the Rebels’ play caller.
Expecting Any Scheme Differences with Baker’s Arrival?
As far as things go from a scheme standpoint, Ole Miss fans shouldn’t expect much to change. As a play caller, Baker is extremely similar to what they’ve grown used to under Weis Jr and Kiffin. The offense is going to be well-balanced between the passing attack and the rushing game. But that is also going to depend on what kind of personnel he has on the field.
For instance, in his first year as a Pirate, they ran the ball really well. The passing game was explosive, but inefficient. This year, his second as the East Carolina offensive coordinator, things flipped. The rushing attack struggled, but the passing game improved dramatically.
While the struggles may create questions, there is one positive outlook on it. That is the fact that he’s had a successful season with both rushing and passing being the focal point. If he can find a way to have success with both in the same season, Baker’s offenses could become extremely problematic for opposing defenses.
And that could start with the retention of current players. If he can keep guys like Kewan Lacy, Trinidad Chambliss, and Deuce Alexander in Oxford, it would certainly make his transition to coordinator in the SEC easier.
A Few Concerns Surrounding the Hire
The biggest question surrounding this hire from Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding is inexperience. Despite having numerous stops on his resume, Baker has only been a solo offensive coordinator for two seasons. And none of that solo experience comes at the Power Four conference level. So while success at East Carolina is good, that doesn’t match up to what he’s going to have to scheme against in the SEC. This inexperience is certain to cause some hesitation among Rebel fans.
This leads to the other big question surrounding the Baker hire.
And that other concern is recruiting. We know Golding is a tremendous recruiter, but that’s primarily on the defensive side of the ball. Doubts are likely going to exist around Baker’s recruiting ability, at least until he proves those doubts wrong. He’s shown flashes of being a good play caller. But that won’t matter if he can’t recruit guys that fit his system. Given his energy and youth, there’s obviously hope that he can connect to today’s college players. But until it gets done, those questions will continue to exist.
All things considered, this isn’t a flashy hire. But it is a hire with a high ceiling. It’s also a hire that could have a low floor. For many, they look at the hiring of Baker and say it’s an unnecessary risk for Golding, who is going to be a head coach for the first time. But Golding isn’t new to taking risks. And more importantly, he’s coached with Baker before. That alone should create a bit of stability amongst the coaching staff.
And given what the Ole Miss program has been faced with over the past month or so, stability has to sound pretty good to Rebel fans right about now.
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