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Notre Dame 'high up on the list' for dynamic West Coast defender that some of the top programs in CFB are pushing hard for

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Ryan Roberts | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 5:07 PM ET

The Notre Dame secondary is on a historic run under defensive backs coach Mike Mickens . He has tutored an impressive list of talented secondary members the last few seasons, including Benjamin Morrison, Leonard Moore , Christian Gray, and Adon Shuler amongst others. What was once considered an area of weakness for the Fighting Irish has become a major strength under head coach Marcus Freeman and Coach Mickens.

With eyes already on the 2027 recruiting class, Coach Mickens and the defensive staff have once again put together an impressive secondary board. One of the top early names to know is Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon safety Myles Baker, one of the more diverse defensive b acks in the entire class. Having already taken a trip to South Bend earlier this off-season, Baker has gained a strong early opinion of the program.

Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney put out an update recently on Baker's recruitment, and where things currently stand. Along with other schools like Michigan, Oregon, LSU, and UCLA, the California native had a lot of great things to say about the Fighting Irish. Here is what he had to say about Notre Dame

Top teams are emerging for 2027 4-star safety Myles Baker, per @adamgorney

Intel: https://t.co/eqTc96Vk7a pic.twitter.com/218LBqSFPm
— Rivals (@Rivals) August 20, 2025

“Notre Dame is a great school academically which puts them high up on the list for me,” Baker said. “Also, the relationships I built with coach (Marcus) Freeman and coach (Mike) Mickens, when I was able to get down there and actually see the campus, it was a great place, the environment, the campus and there aren’t that many people there. I really liked my visit when I went down there.”

It is early, but Notre Dame receiving early remarks from Baker could be huge in the end. They will need to battle against some other impressive schools, but if Coach Freeman has shown anything, he is not going to back down from a challenge.

Baker is considered to be a three-star player by some, and a four-star recruit by others. On the 247 Sports Composite recruiting ranking, he currently ranks as a four-star, the No. 332 overall player, No. 31 safety, and No. 35 player in the state of California for the 2027 recruiting class. Obviously, California is one of the top states in the country in terms of developing high level talent.

While Baker's ranking won't wow everyone, his offer list is extremely impressive. Some of the top programs that have offered him so far include the Fighting Irish, Georgia, Texas, Michigan, LSU, Oregon, USC, Texas A&M, Arizona State, Missouri, UCLA, Kansas, and Washington State among several others.

As a sophomore, Baker put together a tremendous season for Sierra Canyon. The 6-1, 185-pound defensive back managed to collect 67 total tackles, one interception, and seven pass breakups. Baker also added another four tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. He has a strong propensity to always be around the football.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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