The first time senior Baylor Moates understood what it meant to have a loss of words was a Tuesday night while sitting in his bedroom. His mind calm but blank, he had just experienced what can only be described as a moment of fulfillment following a phone call from Johns Hopkins University. He had just been offered a position to play left tackle on the school’s football team.

Having played football for 12 years, getting an offer to play in college was always a goal, but seemed far-fetched until Moates received interest from coaches during a summer camp before his sophomore year.

“I always had the calm mindset, like, oh, you know only this many people get to go do this, the chances I get to are really low,” Moates said.

Along with the offer from Johns Hopkins, Moates received four others.

“It was really surprising honestly, but it felt great,” Moates said. “I just didn’t think it was a possibility at all, so to find out that was something that could happen was awesome.”

Of the five offers, Moates chose Johns Hopkins because of its impressive academic reputation and opportunities in the medical field. In particular, he hopes to participate in the university’s competitive biomedical engineering program, which interested him even before the offer. With such a focus on academics, Moates said he will be grateful to have coaches who understand the school’s rigor.

“The program is kind of built around academics,” Moates said.

Moates credits his success in both football and academics to his parents.

“My dad got me into football. He coached me up until high school, and then my mom was always big on academics, so she’s pretty much the reason I have the opportunity at Johns Hopkins,” Moates said.

In addition to his parents, Moates said his teammates and coaches have been a great support, teaching him “discipline and hard work,” especially former teammate and 2025 graduate Nick House.

“He probably pushed me almost as much as my parents,” Moates said. “I think he almost got as excited. He’s just a great motivator and a great friend.”

Drawing from his time on the team, Moates said he will try to carry humility as he moves into college.

“One of the things we focus on is not getting your head too big or anything, and I think that’s really important to me, especially with how things are going now,” Moates said. “I don’t want to get complacent about it.”

As he moves into a new chapter of life, Moates said he is more excited than nervous.

“I’m really looking forward to moving up there and seeing how it goes,” Moates said.

With this outlook, Moates advises younger players to concentrate on academics and focus on the fun of football rather than being the best.

“It’s my favorite game in the world, and the reason I play it is because I love it,” Moates said.

Moates was awarded student of the month Nov. 10.