# Bryce Baker
**Bryce Baker** is an [American football](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-football) quarterback from Kernersville, North Carolina, who played at East Forsyth High School, signed with the [University of North Carolina](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-north-carolina) as a four-star prospect in the class of 2025, and transferred to [Virginia Tech](https://www.edgepedia.org/virginia-tech) in January 2026 after a freshman season at North Carolina in which he recorded no statistics[1](https://goheels.com/sports/football/roster/bryce-baker/26885) • [2](https://n.rivals.com/content/athletes/bryce-baker-290152). He was the first recruit to commit to North Carolina under head coach Bill Belichick[3](https://www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/article/1938694).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position and 2025 status | Quarterback, jersey number 2, freshman on the 2025 North Carolina roster; listed 6-3, 205 pounds[1](https://goheels.com/sports/football/roster/bryce-baker/26885) |
| High school | East Forsyth High School, Kernersville, N.C.; 23-3 record and two conference titles in his final two seasons[1](https://goheels.com/sports/football/roster/bryce-baker/26885) |
| Two-year passing totals | 439 of 622 passes (70.6 percent) for 6,605 yards and 79 touchdowns[1](https://goheels.com/sports/football/roster/bryce-baker/26885) |
| Senior season | 3,523 passing yards and 40 touchdowns on 74.8 percent completion, plus 536 rushing yards and nine rushing scores[1](https://goheels.com/sports/football/roster/bryce-baker/26885) |
| Recruiting ranking | On3: No. 74 nationally, No. 11 quarterback, No. 4 in North Carolina; On3 Industry composite: No. 87 overall, No. 9 quarterback[4](https://www.si.com/college/unc/football/unc-football-signee-finishes-prep-career-four-stars-1-31-25) |
| UNC tenure | First commitment of the Bill Belichick era (December 2024); no statistics recorded in 2025[3](https://www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/article/1938694) • [1](https://goheels.com/sports/football/roster/bryce-baker/26885) |
| Transfer | Entered the portal on December 22, 2025; committed to Virginia Tech on January 10, 2026, rated 87.50 and No. 30 among portal quarterbacks[2](https://n.rivals.com/content/athletes/bryce-baker-290152) |
## High school career
Across his last two seasons, Baker captained East Forsyth to a combined record of 23 wins against 3 losses along with a pair of conference championships, while finishing 439 of his 622 pass attempts (a 70.6 percent rate) for 6,605 yards and 79 touchdowns.[1](https://goheels.com/sports/football/roster/bryce-baker/26885) As a senior he completed 228 of 305 passes (74.8 percent) for 3,523 yards and 40 touchdowns while adding 536 rushing yards and nine scores on the ground[1](https://goheels.com/sports/football/roster/bryce-baker/26885). His final high school game was a 37-21 playoff loss to Weddington High School on December 6, 2024[5](https://www.maxpreps.com/nc/kernersville/east-forsyth-eagles/athletes/bryce-baker/?careerid=nl81kbkp2srl5).
He also attended the Elite 11 finals, a national quarterback competition, and the Manning Passing Academy, and he competed in basketball and track & field while earning membership in the [National Honor Society](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-honor-society)[1](https://goheels.com/sports/football/roster/bryce-baker/26885). In the Elite 11's film-only rankings he placed No. 4 with a score of 4.675, and evaluators compared him to [Michael Penix Jr.](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-penix-jr), noting a 6-foot-2.5, 205-pound frame with 10 3/4-inch hands and what one evaluation called a clean rotational throwing motion[6](https://www.si.com/college/georgia/football/elite-11-rankings-nation-s-top-qbs-compete-film-only-rankings-01j0ps7tqy4m).
## Recruiting
Baker was consistently rated a high four-star prospect. On3 ranked him the nation's 74th-best player, the 11th-best quarterback, and the fourth-best player in North Carolina; the On3 Industry composite, which averages the major recruiting services, placed him No. 87 overall and No. 9 among quarterbacks[4](https://www.si.com/college/unc/football/unc-football-signee-finishes-prep-career-four-stars-1-31-25). His service rankings varied: On3 put him No. 65 overall, Rivals No. 78 with a 5.9 rating, 247Sports No. 155, and ESPN No. 199 with a scout grade of 82[7](https://www.on3.com/rivals/bryce-baker-176398/recruiting/) • [8](https://www.espn.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/_/id/254653/bryce-baker). On3's scouting article called him a deep-ball specialist and a high four-star, and its player comparison was [Bo Nix](https://www.edgepedia.org/bo-nix)[9](https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/news/advanced-scouting-penn-state-targeting-deep-ball-specialist-in-unc-commit-bryce-baker/) • [7](https://www.on3.com/rivals/bryce-baker-176398/recruiting/).
He pledged to North Carolina in June 2023, when [Mack Brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/mack-brown) was still the Tar Heels' head coach, and held offers from schools including App State, Boston College, Duke, James Madison, Louisville, Maryland, NC State, and Virginia Tech[4](https://www.si.com/college/unc/football/unc-football-signee-finishes-prep-career-four-stars-1-31-25) • [8](https://www.espn.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/_/id/254653/bryce-baker).
## The Belichick commitment and signing
North Carolina fired head coach Mack Brown in late November 2024, eight days before National Signing Day, a move that put Baker's firm commitment in question and drew a visit from Penn State for the final home game of the season[9](https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/news/advanced-scouting-penn-state-targeting-deep-ball-specialist-in-unc-commit-bryce-baker/). When the school hired former NFL coach [Bill Belichick](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-belichick), Baker became the first recruit to commit to the program under the new staff; he and Belichick were introduced to a crowd at the Dean E. Smith Center during halftime of a basketball game in December 2024[3](https://www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/article/1938694). He signed his financial agreement that December[4](https://www.si.com/college/unc/football/unc-football-signee-finishes-prep-career-four-stars-1-31-25).
247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins described Baker as a "mobile [QB] with a muscled-up build that will throw his wide receivers open," with a compact release and a likely best fit in a modern spread attack that moves the quarterback around[4](https://www.si.com/college/unc/football/unc-football-signee-finishes-prep-career-four-stars-1-31-25). He headlined a 20-player 2025 North Carolina recruiting class ranked No. 60 in the country and No. 15 in the ACC by On3[4](https://www.si.com/college/unc/football/unc-football-signee-finishes-prep-career-four-stars-1-31-25).
## College career and transfer
Baker appeared on North Carolina's 2025 roster as a freshman quarterback wearing number 2, and the school's statistics page records no statistics for him that season[1](https://goheels.com/sports/football/roster/bryce-baker/26885). Listed measurements differed slightly by outlet: the university roster had him at 6-3 and 205 pounds, while On3 listed 6-2.25 and 200 pounds[1](https://goheels.com/sports/football/roster/bryce-baker/26885) • [7](https://www.on3.com/rivals/bryce-baker-176398/recruiting/).
After the 2025 season he entered the transfer portal on December 22, 2025, and committed to Virginia Tech on January 10, 2026[2](https://n.rivals.com/content/athletes/bryce-baker-290152). In transfer portal rankings he carried an 87.50 rating, No. 432 nationally and No. 30 among quarterbacks[2](https://n.rivals.com/content/athletes/bryce-baker-290152).
## References
1. [Bryce Baker - Football - University of North Carolina Athletics](https://goheels.com/sports/football/roster/bryce-baker/26885)
2. [Bryce Baker - North Carolina Tar Heels - Quarterback, On3/Rivals](https://n.rivals.com/content/athletes/bryce-baker-290152)
3. [East Forsyth Star QB Bryce Baker Becomes First Commitment to the Bill Belichick Era of UNC Football, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools](https://www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/article/1938694)
4. [UNC Football Signee Finishes Prep Career With All Four-Stars, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/college/unc/football/unc-football-signee-finishes-prep-career-four-stars-1-31-25)
5. [Bryce Baker's East Forsyth High School Career Home, MaxPreps](https://www.maxpreps.com/nc/kernersville/east-forsyth-eagles/athletes/bryce-baker/?careerid=nl81kbkp2srl5)
6. [Elite 11 Rankings - Nation's Top QBs Compete, Film-Only Rankings, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/college/georgia/football/elite-11-rankings-nation-s-top-qbs-compete-film-only-rankings-01j0ps7tqy4m)
7. [Bryce Baker - East Forsyth - Quarterback, On3](https://www.on3.com/rivals/bryce-baker-176398/recruiting/)
8. [Bryce Baker Quarterback: Dual Threat Recruiting Profile, ESPN](https://www.espn.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/_/id/254653/bryce-baker)
9. [Advanced Scouting: Penn State targeting deep-ball specialist in UNC commit Bryce Baker, On3](https://www.on3.com/teams/penn-state-nittany-lions/news/advanced-scouting-penn-state-targeting-deep-ball-specialist-in-unc-commit-bryce-baker/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › College, minor, and international American football › High school and recruiting*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license