Mater Dei lineman Brandon Baker takes a seat at the table, signs with Texas
Baker and QB Elijah Brown are part of a large group at Mater Dei’s signing day event Wednesday
Mater Dei High School student athlete football players, Brandon Baker, left, University of Texas and Aydin Breland, University of Oregon, sign their National Letter of Intent during a ceremony held in the gymnasium at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mater Dei High School student athlete football player, Aydin Breland, University of Oregon, center, receives a hug after signing his National Letter of Intent during a ceremony held in the gymnasium at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mater Dei High School student athlete football players pose for photos after signing their National Letter of Intent during a ceremony held in the gymnasium in Santa Ana on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mater Dei High School student athlete football players, Kainoa Davis, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, left, and Nathaniel Frazier, University of Georgia, right, sign their National Letter of Intent during a ceremony held in the gymnasium at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Families and friends gather as student athlete football players sign their National Letter of Intent during a ceremony held in the gymnasium at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mater Dei High School student athlete football players, Nathaniel Frazier, University of Georgia, left, and Aydin Breland, University of Oregon, right, hold Frazierxe2x80x99s mother, Yomeisha Moore between them, as they pose for photos after signing their National Letter of Intent during a ceremony held in the gymnasium at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The family members of Mater Dei High School student athlete football player Deandre Carter, Auburn University, center, pose for photos following the National Letter of Intent signing ceremony held in the gymnasium at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mater Dei High School student athlete football players, Jack Ressler, University of Oregon, center, and Rylan Vagana, Texas Techxc2xa0University, right, sign their National Letter of Intent during a ceremony held in the gymnasium at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mater Dei High School student athlete football players pose for photos with teammates after signing their National Letter of Intent during a ceremony held in the gymnasium in Santa Ana on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mater Dei High School student athlete football players, Elijah Brown, Stanfordxc2xa0University, left, and Deandre Carter, Auburn University, sign their National Letter of Intent during a ceremony held in the gymnasium at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mater Dei High School Head Football Coach Frank McManus speaks to families and friends as they gather for student athlete football players to sign their National Letter of Intent during a ceremony held in the gymnasium at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mater Dei High School student athlete football players, Brandon Baker, left, University of Texas and Aydin Breland, University of Oregon, sign their National Letter of Intent during a ceremony held in the gymnasium at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Student athlete football players sign their National Letter of Intent during a ceremony held in the gymnasium at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mater Dei High School student athlete football players, Nathaniel Frazier, University of Georgia, left, and Aydin Breland, University of Oregon, right, pose for photos after signing their National Letter of Intent during a ceremony held in the gymnasium at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mater Dei High School student athlete football players, Aydin Breland, University of Oregon, left, and Jack Ressler, University of Oregon, pose for photos after signing their National Letter of Intent during a ceremony held in the gymnasium at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Families and friends take photos as student athlete football players sign their National Letter of Intent during a ceremony held in the gymnasium at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Makenzie Kirrer, left, has her photo taken with Mater Dei High School student athlete football player Deandre Carter, Auburn University, right, after signing his National Letter of Intent during a ceremony held in the gymnasium at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Families and friends gather as student athlete football players sign their National Letter of Intent during a ceremony held in the gymnasium at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Families and friends take photos as student athlete football players sign their National Letter of Intent during a ceremony held in the gymnasium at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Tanner Williams, a student athlete football player at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, signed National Letter of Intent to attend Utah State University during a ceremony held in the gymnasium on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Jeilani Davis, a student athlete football player at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, signed National Letter of Intent to attend University of Utah during a ceremony held in the gymnasium on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Elijah Brown, a student athlete football player at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, signed National Letter of Intent to attend Stanfordxc2xa0University during a ceremony held in the gymnasium on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Nathaniel Frazier, a student athlete football player at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, signed National Letter of Intent to attend University of Georgia during a ceremony held in the gymnasium on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Aydin Breland, a student athlete football player at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, signed National Letter of Intent to attend University of Oregon during a ceremony held in the gymnasium on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Rylan Vagana, a student athlete football player at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, signed National Letter of Intent to attend Texas Techxc2xa0University during a ceremony held in the gymnasium on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Brandon Baker, a student athlete football player at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, signed National Letter of Intent to attend University of Texas during a ceremony held in the gymnasium on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Kainoa Davis, a student athlete football player at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, signed National Letter of Intent to attend University of North Carolina at Charlotte during a ceremony held in the gymnasium on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Jack Ressler, a student athlete football player at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, signed National Letter of Intent to attend University of Oregon during a ceremony held in the gymnasium on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Deandre Carter, a student athlete football player at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, signed National Letter of Intent to attend Auburn University during a ceremony held in the gymnasium on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
On National Letter of Intent signing days the past couple of years, Brandon Baker sat in the stands in the Mater Dei gym, looking on while his older teammates on the football team signed with colleges.
On Wednesday, Baker, now a senior, had his turn to sit at one of the long tables and he signed a letter of intent with Texas, while younger Monarchs were in the stands watching the ceremony.
“It felt surreal,” said Baker, an offensive lineman for the Monarchs. “I was sitting there thinking about that. Everything kind of started here.
“We actually took our placement test for Mater Dei in this gym four-and-half years ago. It’s really funny. It’s come around full circle.”
Baker (6-5, 295) will graduate early from Mater Dei so that he can report to Texas on Jan. 11. He will enroll in classes there and begin working out with the Longhorns football team.
Mater Dei defensive back Zabien Brown was not among the 10 suit-clad Monarchs who sat at the long tables for Wednesday’s event.
Graduating early from high school to enroll in college is a growing trend. Mater Dei senior quarterback Elijah Brown is also doing it. He signed with Stanford on Wednesday and plans to move into his campus living quarters Jan. 6.
“This is my last day of school,” said Brown, who on Wednesday morning took his final exam at Mater Dei, a Marine Biology test. “It feels great and also sad.”
KICKER SALGADO-MEDINA SIGNS
Mission Viejo’s Michael Salgado-Medina was a rare signee Wednesday as a kicker who received a full scholarship for football.
He said he will receive a full scholarship at Arizona, which he knows is unusual for a player at his position. A lot of kickers end up as walk-ons in college football.
Salgado-Medina long believed the opportunity would come.
“I was told ‘keep your head down and keep working and it can happen for you,’ ” Salgado-Medina said.
He certainly performed well enough to attract recruiting attention. Salgado-Medina was 64 of 70 on extra-point kicks and 15 of 21 on field goal tries, including a field goal of 52 yards.
He sent 77 of his 104 kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks and averaged 39 yards on his 48 punts.
Salgado-Medina also had offers from Air Force and San Diego State. He picked Arizona after a visit to the school in Tucson.
‘I just really liked the place,” he said. “It felt like home.”
