Georgia's failure to recruit a quarterback in the 2027 recruiting class is well documented. The Bulldogs have come up short on all of their targets so far, with four-star Peter Bourque being the most recent example.
After Georgia lost all of these recruitments Kirby Smart decided to take a new approach and target players already committed to other schools. That is when Smart locked in on Tennessee commit Derrick Baker who is from the state of Georgia.
Smart offered Baker a scholarship last week and many assumed they would have a good chance to flip him. Baker however has already shot that idea down, but his reasoning for doing so is as ridiculous as it can get.
"These coaches there (Tennessee) know how to develop you, and I think justthe trust I have with them is more than the coaches at Georgia."
Despite a recent offer from Georgia, 2027 QB Derrick Baker maintains that he’s locked in with another SEC program.
— Harrison Reno (@HarrisonReno) May 16, 2026
“Those coaches there know how to develop you, and I think just the trust that I have with them is more than the coaches at Georgia.”https://t.co/xMWxyBCUK3
Derrick Baker chooses Tennessee over Georgia for a reason that makes no sense
One reason Baker gave for sticking with Tennessee over Georgia is due to the relationship and trust he has built with the Volunteer's coaching staff. That is something that can't really be argued or debated, so props to Tennessee for building that relationship.
But Baker also said that he believes Tennessee's coaching staff knows how to develop quarterbacks better than Georgia, and that is absolutely ridiculous to say.
Who has Tennessee developed since Josh Heupel became their head coach in 2021? Nico Iamaleava was supposed to be their superstar quarterback, but he was ran out of town after one season as a starter. Then there was Joey Aguilar last year who thew double digit interceptions and showed zero improvement in his one year with the program.
Georgia however has produced multiple elite quarterbacks. Stetson Bennett stands out more than anyone after leading Georgia to two national titles after being a walk-on. Georgia also developed Carson Beck into the player he is even though he finished his career at Miami. Now Gunner Stockton is the third quarterback in a row at Georgia who is playing at a very high level.
So how is Tennessee developing quarterbacks better than Georgia? Tennessee's coaching staff must've done a good job selling him on that because the data shows otherwise.
Derrick Baker forces Georgia to scramble for a new QB target
It's unclear where Georgia goes from here. Smart has remained consistent that he wants to add a quarterback in the 2027 recruiting class, but at this point there isn't a target out there that anyone should be confident Georgia can land.
Official visit season is officially underway at Georgia though, so this will give Smart and his staff an opportunity to get the quarterbacks they like on campus to try and convince them to commit. Up to this point they have had no success, but all it takes is one player to change that.
So look for Smart to be aggressive in bringing as many quarterbacks to Georgia on an official visit over the next month because that may be the only shot they have at adding anyone out of the 2027 recruiting class.
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