Wildcats establish single-sport season high for the honor for the fifth-straight year
The 2012 Scouting Report: Walk-on player who will likely play a role with NU's scout team.
2012: Appeared in two games as a sophomore (vs. South Dakota, vs. Illinois) ... Earned Academic All-Big Ten honors.
2011: Played in one game during his redshirt freshman season ... Academic All-Big Ten.
2010: Did not see action.
High School: A near-consensus all-state selection in 2009, earning first-team nods from the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association, Chicago Tribune and Champaign News-Gazette ... A Chicago Sun-Times Top-25 All-Area team selection ... ESPN Chicago All-Area Preps team ... Two-time selection (2008 and 2009) to the Daily Herald and Northwest Heraldall-area teams ... Team's two-time Offensive Line MVP (center) ... Helped lead the Trojans to the 2009 state title, the school's first, with a 34-17 win over Providence Catholic ... In state title game, faced Providence's all-state nose tackle Steve Laski ... Trojans went unbeaten in conference play two straight years (2008-09) ... Helped Cary-Grove amass 5,289 total yards, which included 4,444 rushing yards ... Trojans, using a triple-option offense, scored 546 points in two seasons ... Team, which went 53-1 in regular-season play from 2004-09, received MaxPreps Tour of Champions Trophy ... Team captain ... His football record with the Trojans was 41-3 ... Also competed in wrestling, track and lacrosse ... Won the lacrosse team's "Physical Presence" award ... Also won the "Harlem Big Man Challenge" lineman competition ... High Honor Roll eight semesters ... NHS, AP Scholar, Illinois State Scholar and two-time Academic All-State selection ... Coached by Bruce Kay.
Personal: Born Hayden Patrick Baker ... Son of Robert and Mary Ellen Baker ... Uncle played football at Iowa and played in the Rose Bowl ... Majoring in anthropology.