Transfer DT Kyler Baugh Talks Minnesota Commitment
On Friday morning, Houston Baptist defensive tackle transfer Kyle Baugh made the decision to end his recruitment just five days after entering the transfer portal.
The Oklahoma native originally entered the portal on Monday, was offered by Minnesota on Tuesday, and by Friday, was ready to commit to the program. Baugh committed to the Gophers over Tarleton State, Utah State, and Western Kentucky.
"I really like how the program is progressing and moving in the right direction!" Baugh told TGR. "It is a great feeling! It honestly does not feel real yet!" he added later about now officially being able to call himself a Power Five football player. While he never made a trip to visit the Gophers prior to making his commitment, Baugh will be making a visit to the program next weekend.
Over the last few days, Baugh was in contact the most with defensive line coach Brick Haley but it was head coach PJ Fleck who got the phone call with the new good news, "I told him I’m going to be a Gopher and he got super excited!"
It was frankly an easy decision for the 6-foot-3, 300-pound defensive tackle, saying that he knew he wanted to be a Gopher from the moment he received the offer. Baugh told TGR that his discussions with the Gophers coaching staff this week "have been going amazing" and that the staff expects him to come in and give production right away once he arrives on campus this summer. That being said, he knows there will be challenges, "Everyone is going to be bigger, faster, and stronger. I think the transition phase will be a challenge but the summer months will be beneficial."
Baugh will be finishing up his classes at Houston Baptist in May before enrolling this summer in Minnesota. He's not 100% sure what he will be studying once he arrives in Minneapolis but is currently leaning toward Health and Wellness related studies.
During three seasons at Houston Baptist, Baugh recorded 104 career tackles and five sacks over the course of 18 starts and 26 games played. This past season, he had his most productive season yet, recording 52 tackles including 4.5 tackles for a loss and 3.5 sacks. He views himself as a well-rounded defensive tackle who can contribute against both the pass and run. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
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