Baker Mayfield's H.S. coach is going to bat for his ex-QB after the Browns superstar torched Hue Jackson ... saying Baker was just doing what he thought was best for his team.
Of course ... Mayfield's been met with a lot of critics after he went scorched earth on his former head coach THREE separate times, accusing Hue of being "fake" for joining the Bengals.
Hank Carter -- Baker's old coach at Lake Travis H.S. in Texas -- tells TMZ Sports Mayfield's comments were just his way of standing up for his Cleveland teammates.