Ole Miss names John David Baker Passing Game Coordinator, Tight Ends Coach

OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss football announced the hire of John David Baker as the new tight ends coach and passing game coordinator Monday. Baker, who left USC to take the job at Ole Miss, will replace tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley who left the Rebels to return to his alma mater, Oklahoma.

Baker, who played quarterback at Abilene Christian from 2010-2013, spent last season as the tight ends coach for the Trojans. In 2019, he served as their quality control analyst.

In September, the 29-year-old Baker was named to 247Sports’ 30 under 30 list of rising college football coaches.

BAKER COACHING CAREER
2014-15: Abilene Christian (GA/QBs)
2016-18: North Texas (Offensive Quality Control)
2019: USC (Offensive Quality Control)
2020: USC (TEs)
2021-Present: Ole Miss (Passing Game Coordinator/TEs)

Ole Miss recently hired Coleman Hutzler as special teams coordinator, leaving the Rebels one additional vacancy for a defensive line coach.

Evelyn Van Pelt

Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn’s love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.