The Baker University Wildcats will soon add an Excelsior Springs Tiger to their football roster.

Senior Justin Wright recently signed his letter of intent to play for Baker, a private, Baldwin City, Kan.-based NAIA school. Wright chose Baker over William Jewell College in Liberty and Ottawa (Kan.) University, he said.

Wright joins a program that finished 9-2 overall and 5-1 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference in 2024. He also joins a program that qualified for the NAIA playoffs last season. The Wildcats received an atlarge bid, losing 42-35 to the University of Pikeville (Ky.) in the opening round of the single-elimination postseason tournament. It was the program’s 11th playoff appearance in the 21st century, including a national runner-up finish in 2016, school records state.

In addition, Wright will join Baker after three seasons as a starting offensive and defensive lineman at Excelsior Springs. Cody Beck, an Excelsior Springs assistant varsity football coach and the high scho…