Ryan Baker has a soft spot.
LSU’s aggressive junior linebacker may be a beast on the field, rattling opposing offenses and wrapping up intruding running backs and wide receivers, but he has been tamed by his mom, Lynn Baker, a Florida graduate and diehard Gator fan.
Lynn earned bragging rights in the family’s Grand Ridge, Fla., house after Florida beat LSU the past two seasons.
Her team has also Gator-chomped her husband Terry Baker’s alma mater, Florida State, for the last five years.
“It’s a house divided,” Lynn said. “I’m a Florida Gator. Anytime there’s a game with Florida, I get ragged on.”
Ryan’s family and friends will eagerly watch their hometown hero Saturday night when he tries to avenge the past two years and prove a point to his mother.
“I’ve been waiting for this game since I stepped onto this campus three years ago,” Ryan said. “It’s my first year actually playing. It’s time for us to get some payback.”
Ryan sided with his father during his childhood and cheered for the Seminoles, who dominated the college football landscape during the 1990s.
“I was a Florida State fan growing up,” Ryan said. “It was a crime in my family to include yourself with Florida.”
The 6-foot, 227-pound linebacker made it clear — there’s no love lost for his mother’s alma mater.
“It’s just Florida,” Ryan said on why he doesn’t like the Gators. “It’s just Florida being Florida.”
Still, Lynn made attempts to convert her son to the Gator Nation.
“I went to one [Florida game] by accident,” Ryan said, laughing. “We were going to Santa Fe to visit a friend, and we ended up at the game.”
The Blountstown High School alumnus knew he wanted to play in Baton Rouge after visiting Tiger Stadium. His parents jumped on board.
“We wanted the best for him,” Terry Baker said. “He fell in love with the program, and the rest is history.”
Ryan, named a Scout.com four-star linebacker out of high school, has helped anchor the LSU linebacking corps in the four games since the season opener against North Carolina, which he missed with a broken jaw.
“He didn’t travel for the first game, and all during the traveling he was sending people text messages saying how he wishes he could be out there with us,” said LSU junior cornerback Ron Brooks. “He saw how much not having football affected him.”
The typical big eater was reduced to liquefied food during the three-week recovery period.
“I had to eat through a syringe,” Ryan Baker said. “Everything I ate was pureed. I could talk, but I was kind of limited.”
Baker has returned in a big way, recording 27 total tackles, tied for second best on the team after only five games.
“He loves competition,” Terry said. “We went to a practice a week before the season started, and the other guys were practicing. You could see in his face he wanted to be out there really bad.”
Baker, who resembles former NFL running back Marshall Faulk in both looks and quickness, has wreaked havoc in opposing backfields, notching five and a half tackles for loss and two sacks this season.
“He brings a lot of speed to the linebacker corps,” said LSU junior safety Brandon Taylor. “He’s big on Florida speed. He says that since he’s from Florida, he’s fast.”
Brooks said Baker often boasts about his speed to the other players.
“Baker’s always challenging somebody,” Brooks said. “In the summer, he was challenging the running backs, thinking he’s faster than everybody. He’s not a trailblazer or anything, but he can move for his size.”
The emerging linebacker will return to the Sunshine State to put his speed to the test Saturday night.
Lynn Baker said her loyalties lie with her son even though she usually pulls for his Southeastern Conference rival.
“I’ll be cheering for my son, but on the other hand, the Florida Gators — that’s my school,” Lynn said. “If both teams could win, that would be good.”
She said most importantly she wants her son to have a good game, but her Florida fandom can’t be completely erased.
“I’m going to wear my LSU jersey with Baker on the back,” Lynn said. “But I may put on my Gator shoes.”
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Contact Michael Lambert at [email protected]