LSU Linebacker Micah Baskerville Returning for One More Season in Baton Rouge
LSU learned a little bit more about the future of its linebacker room on Tuesday as senior Micah Baskerville officially announced he'd be returning to the program in 2022.
Baskerville was one of the most improved and impressive defensive players during the 2021 season as a full time starter. In 12 appearances for the Tigers, Baskerville recorded a career high 83 tackles, nine tackles for a loss, three sacks, four passes defended and an interception.
“I am going to come back, graduate, and help Coach Kelly and the rest of the staff get the Tigers back to where we're supposed to be - at the top,” Baskerville wrote.
In addition to Baskerville, LSU does have some options to work with at inside linebacker including veteran Mike Jones, Greg Penn, Josh White, Antoine Sampah and recent transfer commit West Weeks, who joined the program over the weekend. It'll be interesting to see what Baskerville's return means for LSU in adding more talent to the position group.
Earlier in the day, safety Jay Ward announced his return to the program for 2022 and adding Baskerville into the mix gives LSU two returning veteran voices that allows for more natural growth within the linebacker and secondary rooms.
Always wanting to build for the future, the Tigers will be persistent in targeting Harold Perkins to add to the group but with Baskerville back in the fold, LSU has some veteran presence with starting experience. LSU will now await the decision of defensive lineman Ali Gaye, who also is eligible to return to the Tigers under Brian Kelly.
Another interesting aspect to consider is defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Matt House, who just advanced to the divisional round with the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL playoffs. What he wants to do with the position he'll be coaching will have a ripple effect on how Kelly and this staff continue to fill out the defense.
