John David Baker - Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks - Staff Directory

Staff Directory

John David Baker

Title:
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Email:
Phone:
(252) 737-4570

John David Baker is in his second season at East Carolina where he serves as the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach, a position he began on Dec. 1, 2023.

The 2024 Broyles Award Nominee oversaw an offensive in his first year at East Carolina that stood among the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) leaders (Top 30) in five categories including 3rd down conversion percentage (24th/0.451), total offense per game (24th/436.4 ypg), passing yards per completion (26th/13.30) and passing offense (27th/264.0 pg). In 2024, he helped the Pirates (8-5, 5-3 AAC) to five wins over a six-game span which included a 26-21 come from behind victory over NC State in the 2024 Go Bowling Military Bowl in Annapolis, Md. On Dec. 28, 2024. The win was the first over a Power 4 team since 2018, when ECU topped North Carolina, 41-19.

Running back Rahjai Harris rushed for 220 yards against the Wolfpack in the Military Bowl setting an American Athletic Conference bowl record and ranking second all-time in program history behind Chris Johnson’s 223 yards in the 2007 Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl against Boise State. The Military Bowl Most Valuable Player also tallied the most rushing yards by an individual during the 2024-25 Bowl Season and was named to the Associated Press All-Bowl Team.

Katin Houser, who took over as the starting quarterback against Army, passed for 2,006 yards completing 149 of 245 passes with 18 ariel scores, while also rushing for 170 yards and four additional touchdowns – two against NC State in the bowl game. He guided the Pirates to a 5-2 record in seven starts where the offensive unit averaged 36.7 points and 480.3 yards of total offense per game. Houser tied a school record with consecutive games throwing five touchdowns and is one of four quarterbacks with multiple 5-touchdown contests. Following the Pirates 49-14 win over Florida Atlantic, he topped ESPN’s weekly QB Rating Index with a 99.7 rating.

His offensive unit ranked among the all-time greats in program history tallying 5,673 yards of total offense (fifth), averaged 436.4 yards of total offense per game (sixth), averaged 32.0 points per game (eighth) and threw for 3,432 yards (10th). During ECU’s 5-1 run to close out the season, it scored 229 points (38.2 ppg) and 2,993 yards of total offense (498.8 pg) which included a stretch of four straight games with over 500 yards of total offense – a first in program history.

He mentored a pair of postseason bowl invitees in TE Casey Kelly (Tropical Bowl) and WR Winston Wright Jr. (Hula Bowl), while having five members earn All-AAC honors in Harris (second team), WR Chase Sowell (second team), OL Parker Moorer (third team), WR Anthony Smith (honorable mention) and WR Wright Jr. (honorable mention). A dual threat as a receiver and a return specialists, Wright Jr. garnered All-America accolades from three publications (FWAA/second team, Action Network/second team, Phil Steele Magazine/second team) and was an honorable mention selection by two others (CFN, Sports Illustrated).

Baker’s appointment to East Carolina ended a three-year stint at Ole Miss where he served as the co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach for the past two seasons.

During his three-year stint with the Rebels, Baker helped oversee an Ole Miss attack that has posted two of the top five seasons in total offense in program history. Last year, the Rebel rushing attack broke the school record with 3,336 yards while tallying nearly 6,500 yards of total offense (6,453) which ranks fourth all-time. This year, the Rebels are averaging 455.4 yards per game standing 16th nationally, rank among the NCAA leaders in seven offensive categories and have secured their third consecutive bowl game appearance after posting a 10-2 record.

In his first season, Baker oversaw a lights-out passing attack from the Rebel offense. The Rebels led the SEC in total offense (492.5 ypg), engineered by a superb final season by quarterback Matt Corral, who left Ole Miss as one of its best signal callers of all time. The Rebels finished the 2021 season with a 10-3 record and an appearance in the Sugar Bowl against Texas Tech.

Baker began his tenure at Ole Miss on Jan. 25, 2021, after he was named the passing game coordinator and tight ends coach ending a two-year stint with USC where he served as the tight ends coach in 2020 under head coach Clay Helton. He was named to 247Sports' 30Under30 in 2020 one year after he was named an offensive quality control analyst for the Trojans during the 2019 season.

The San Angelo, Texas, native was an offensive quality control coach at North Texas for three seasons (2016-18). In 2018, UNT ranked No. 12 in passing (306.8), No. 20 in total offense (460.5) and No. 26 in scoring (34.6). Wide receiver Rico Bussey Jr. hauled in 68 passes for 1,017 yards with 12 TDs and running back DeAndre Torrey tallied 15 TDs on the ground.

North Texas ranked No. 19 nationally in scoring (35.5), No. 21 in passing (291.9) and No. 24 in total offense (455.1) in 2017. Quarterback Mason Fine set school season records for passing yards (4,052) and touchdowns (31). The Mean Green qualified for bowl games each year that Baker was on staff (2016 Heart of Dallas, 2017 New Orleans, 2018 New Mexico).

Prior to North Texas, he was a graduate assistant at Abilene Christian, his alma mater, in 2014 and 2015, working with the quarterbacks.

Baker played quarterback for the Amarillo Venom indoor football team in 2014 (Lone Star Football League) and 2015 (Champions Indoor Football).

He played quarterback for four seasons (2010-13) at Abilene Christian. As a senior in 2013, Baker completed 247-of-369 passes (66.9%) for 3,376 yards and 35 TDs, with just five interceptions. Baker also rushed for 256 yards and five TDs. His 40 total TDs were a school record. In his first career start, he threw for a school-record seven touchdowns against Concordia College.

He prepped at Lake View High (Texas) where he earned all-district honors in both football and baseball. Baker threw for 2,240 yards and 22 touchdowns and ran for 688 yards and 18 TDs his senior season.

Baker received his bachelor's degree in exercise science in 2014 and his master's degree in higher education in 2016, both from Abilene Christian. He and his wife Sarah have one daughter, Ella.