Javon Baker

Former wide receiver at UCF. 2023: 52 catches, 1,139 receiving yards, 7 TD.

WR · UCF · Sr. · #1

6′1″ · 208 lb · Atlanta, GA

CFB Index 84 · #24 of 497 WRsHigh confidenceAll-Conf 1st teamNew England — drafted 2024, Rd 4, Pick 10, #110 overall

Recruiting

4★

WR recruit

No. 203 nationally · Signed with Alabama

Statement game9 rec · 173 yds · 1 TDvs Georgia Tech (FBS) · L 17-30

Top 1% receiving yards game since 2021.

My 2024 NFL Draft prospect to watch on each team in the Gasparilla Bowl: Georgia Tech- LaMiles Brooks/Jaylon King/Myles Sims, DBs UCF- Javon Baker/Kobe Hudson, WRsr/CFB game thread · ▲ 2His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former wide receiver at UCF. 2023: 52 catches, 1,139 receiving yards, 7 TD.

Signed as a 4-star recruit to Alabama in 2020.
Transferred from Alabama to UCF in 2022.
Drafted round 4 by the New England in 2024.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Four seasons at UCF, 2,051 receiving yards, a first-team All-Conference season (2023) — drafted at #110 overall by New England.

His career

He arrived as a blue-chip recruit and played like one.

The week the volume broke through — put up 173 yds vs Georgia Tech.Georgia Tech · L 17-302023

2020

Signed with Alabama4-star out of McEachern

202214 games

The role got bigger.

Entered the portal

202313 games

All-Big 12first

2024

Drafted by New Englandround 4, pick 110

Career arc

Recruit

★★★★

#203 national

CFB

College

2 teams

2020–2023

NFL

NFL Draft

R4 · #110

New England · 2024

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

1 honor

🥈

ALL-BIG 12 · 1ST TEAM

All-Big 12 1st team (2023)

Coaching lineage · 2020–2023

2 coaches

2020

Josh Heupel

UCF

2021–2023

Gus Malzahn

UCF

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Josh Heupel → Gus Malzahn. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

Where He Ended Up · NFL

New EnglandEntering 3rd NFL season

#110Rd 4 · Pick 10

New EnglandEntering 3rd NFL season

View college career stats ↓

2023 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2020Alabama13-0HC: Nick Saban · Balanced, fast tempo

2021Alabama13-2HC: Nick Saban · Balanced, fast tempo

2022UCF9-5HC: Gus Malzahn · Run-leaning, fast tempo

2023UCF6-7HC: Gus Malzahn · Run-leaning

Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

84All-Conference level #24 of 497?

High confidence10 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: yards / catch (100th percentile). Strength: explosive rate (100th percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

Yards / catch#2 / 639 · 100th pct

22.5

Explosive rate#3 / 639 · 100th pct

36.2%

EPA / target#8 / 639 · 99th pct

1.68

TD rate#55 / 639 · 91st pct

12.8%

Catch rate#181 / 639 · 72nd pct

89.4%

Box-score rates (5)

Yards / catch#6 / 566 · 99th pct

21.9

Long catch#9 / 566 · 98th pct

Rec yards#17 / 566 · 97th pct

1139

Rec TDs#52 / 566 · 89th pct

Receptions#98 / 566 · 82nd pct

Season trend

Last seasonThis season

EPA / target

60th → 99th percentile

Explosive rate

64th → 100th percentile

Catch rate

32nd → 72nd percentile

TD rate

45th → 91st percentile

Yards / catch

71st → 100th percentile

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2023 season · 13 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Home7g	4.3	89.6	22.3	0.6
Road6g	3.7	85.3	21.5	0.5

First half vs Second half

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Weeks 1-77g	4.3	84.3	19.5	0.4
Weeks 8+6g	3.7	91.5	24.7	0.7

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Scott Frost

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2023

All-Conference 1st team

First team in his league at the position.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

84 · #24 of 497 WRs

Former four-star. Now #24 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2023	UCF	52	1,139	21.9	7	--
2022	UCF	56	796	14.2	5	--
2021	Alabama	7	101	14.4	1	--
2020	Alabama	2	15	7.5	0	--
Career		117	2,051	17.5	13	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2023

W 48–14

vs Villanova

5 rec · 77 yds · 1 TD

Dominant 34-point win at home against Villanova.

With T. McClain — 321 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 67.7 · 44 rush yds (9 car) · M. McCarthy — 48 AVG · 1 IN 20 · 52 LONG

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 8 · Oklahoma · 2&10 · Q2 · EPA +7.08John Rhys Plumlee pass complete to Javon Baker for 86 yds for a TD (Colton Boomer KICK)
Week 12 · Texas Tech · 2&6 · Q4 · EPA +6.19John Rhys Plumlee pass complete to Javon Baker for 71 yds for a TD (Colton Boomer PAT BLOCKED)
Week 5 · Baylor · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +5.24Timmy McClain pass complete to Javon Baker for 65 yds for a TD (Colton Boomer KICK)
Week 1 · Georgia Tech · 2&14 · Q4 · EPA +4.45Timmy McClain pass complete to Javon Baker for 57 yds to the GT 22 for a 1ST down
Week 13 · Houston · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +3.76John Rhys Plumlee pass complete to Javon Baker for 57 yds to the HOU 24 for a 1ST down
Week 8 · Oklahoma · 4&10 · Q4 · EPA +3.62John Rhys Plumlee pass complete to Javon Baker for 12 yds for a TD (Two-Point Conversion failed)
Week 5 · Baylor · 3&12 · Q3 · EPA +3.26Timmy McClain pass complete to Javon Baker for 35 yds to the BAY 9 for a 1ST down
Week 1 · Kent State · 3&5 · Q2 · EPA +3.11John Rhys Plumlee pass complete to Javon Baker for 22 yds to the KENT 46 for a 1ST down
Week 12 · Texas Tech · 3&8 · Q1 · EPA +3.03John Rhys Plumlee pass complete to Javon Baker for 18 yds to the TTU 35 for a 1ST down
Week 10 · Cincinnati · 2&7 · Q4 · EPA +3.00John Rhys Plumlee pass complete to Javon Baker for 40 yds to the CIN 22 for a 1ST down

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2023 season · 13 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	W 56-6vs Kent State	4	59	14.8	0	22	Season-high 173 yds
Wk 2	W 18-16@ Boise State	4	73	18.3	0	29
Wk 3	W 48-14vs Villanova	5	77	15.4	1	25
Wk 4	L 31-44@ Kansas State	1	10	10.0	0	10
Wk 5	L 35-36vs Baylor	3	113	37.7	1	65
Wk 6	L 22-51@ Kansas	4	85	21.3	0	41
Wk 8	L 29-31@ Oklahoma	5	134	26.8	2	86	2 TD catches
Wk 9	L 28-41vs West Virginia	3	34	11.3	1	16
Wk 10	W 28-26@ Cincinnati	4	93	23.3	0	40
Wk 11	W 45-3vs Oklahoma State	4	112	28.0	0	38
Wk 12	L 23-24@ Texas Tech	4	117	29.3	1	71
Wk 13	W 27-13vs Houston	2	59	29.5	0	57
Bowl	L 17-30vs Georgia Tech	9	173	19.2	1	57
Total		52	1139	21.9	7	86

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

Javon Baker

2020

202214 games

202313 games

2024

2023 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

All-Conference 1st team

Career stats

Signature game

Signature plays

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Deep Threat

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