UC Irvine Guard Dawson Baker to Visit BYU, 3 Other Schools

One of the top LDS players in the country is narrowing down his recruitment. UC Irvine transfer Dawson Baker tells me that he will visit BYU, Boise State, Utah, and Utah State. Dawson is still finalizing dates, but says he will visit each school over the next two weeks.

A three-year starter for UC Irvine, Dawson has averaged double figures all three seasons. He was Big West freshman of the year in 2020-2021 and was named All Big West Second-Team this past season. Dawson was the team’s leading scorer for the Big West regular season champs, averaging 15.3 points on 47% shooting from the floor and 37% from three. He was top 200 nationally in fouls drawn per 40 minutes, according to kenpom, and shoots 80% from the foul line. His scoring increased each season from 10.7 as a freshman, 11.2 as a sophomore, and 15.3 in his third year. This past season he also averaged 3.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.6 turnovers. Dawson has two years of eligibility remaining.

Utah State transfer Steven Ashworth is the top priority for BYU, but coaches would likely take another impact guard or wing player if they did land Ashworth. Baker has been a good player for three years at UC Irvine and is a craft three-level scorer. The 6-foot-4 Dawson is a good three-point shooter, but only 32% of his field goal attempts come from behind the arc. He’s attempted more free throws than three pointers in his career and works to get to the basket.

As I mentioned Monday, BYU has a two P6 frontcourt transfers visiting this weekend, and Charlotte transfer Aly Khalifa is likely nearing a decision after he begins his Florida visit Thursday evening. The two transfers visiting BYU this weekend have requested their visits remain private for now — they’ve kept their whole recruitment off the radar so far. BYU will for sure add a big man and point/combo guard, and I anticipate another impact scoring guard or wing on top of that.

You can watch highlights of Dawson below.