Deandre Baker may very be the SEC’s best defensive back returning in 2018. After spurning the opportunity to leave for the NFL following his breakout season in Athens, Baker will be asked to be far more than just a standout performer for the Bulldogs this season — he’ll need to lead.

That’s something the Georgia staff is well aware as fall camp begins to heat up in Athens.

The good news is Baker’s confidence appears to be at an all-time high after starting 14 games last season for the reigning SEC champs and leading the team with nine pass breakups as a junior. Heading into fall camp, the coaching staff sees Baker as an alpha dawg among his peers.

“Baker is one of the guys I take a lot of pride in, and I’m very proud of what he’s done because he’s worked himself into what he is today as a player,” Mel Tucker recently said of Baker. “He works really hard in practice, he’s developed in the meeting room, he’s emerged as a leader for us, and I’m really excited to see what he does for us this season.”

But performing at a high level isn’t all the team needs from Baker this season. After losing several veteran leaders this offseason, the Bulldogs need defenders to step up and fill in the void left by players now set to compete on Sundays in 2018. Baker is chief among the players the coaching staff need to see step up in that regard.

“He is more of a lead-by-example type, but those type of guys who don’t say a lot, when they do speak, everyone listens, and he is that type of guy,” Tucker continued. “He has a really good feel for his teammates. If he needs to get on a guy in front of other guys he will do that. He may need to pull a guy to the side and do a one-on-one he will do that, and that is the sign of a good leader.”

If Georgia gets that type of leadership from Baker this season, it could certainly help players like Deangelo Gibbs, Richard LeCounte and Tyson Campbell go from question marks to solid contributors for one of the best teams not only in the SEC but in the nation.