Micah Baskerville's Game Continues Evolving, Showing Growth
For senior linebacker Micah Baskerville, he came back to LSU with a chance to leave a legacy in Tiger Stadium. Despite being buried on the depth chart, he put his head down and continued to work in order to get the chance to shine this season. He’s done just that.
Leading the Tigers in tackles against Florida, where he has historically played some of his best ball, he’s earned a major role for this LSU defense. This linebacker room is stocked with talent, with freshman Harold Perkins also beginning to emerge, but Baskerville calls it all a blessing to represent the purple and gold.
“It’s really just a blessing,” Baskerville said. “I’m just ready whenever they need me, for whatever and wherever out on the field. So I just make sure I stay ready.”
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Seemingly at the bottom of the depth chart in fall camp, it appeared as though Baskerville’s role would be limited this season while sitting behind Mike Jones Jr, Greg Penn, West Weeks and Harold Perkins, but it’s been the complete opposite.
Baskerville has taken over this linebacker room and become Mr. Reliable for this unit. When a big play is needed, he makes it. The work he put in to close out fall camp is what set him up for this moment.
“Every rep I’ve got, I just make sure I do it right,” Baskerville said. “I took every play [in fall camp], went hard, and that was my plan.”
Though Baskerville has done the heavy lifting on the field, off the field is where he’s taken the biggest strides in his game. He’s praised the nutrition staff LSU brought in this offseason for his success, specifically Dr. Matt Frakes.
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“[Frakes] does a great job making sure we’re fed well and tracking our supplements,” Baskerville said. “He keeps track of our lean mass, he does everything. He’s been doing a great job and I’ve been feeling great too.”
“I’ve seen when you do it right, your body looks bigger, but when you don’t do it right, then your body doesn’t look good. I know when doing it his way, you’re going to get good results.”
In the past, specifically the last two seasons, we’ve seen this LSU squad be fatigued in the final frame. This year? It’s a completely different story. When better conditioned and looking less fatigued in the second half, the Tigers battle until the clock hits zero.
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Their bodies have held up better in crunch time. With the help of Frakes and this nutrition staff, the players’ bodies are better prepared to compete for all four quarters.
“I feel like he prepares us extremely well.” Baskerville said. “It’s one of his big focuses. We get caught up in right now, but it’s about holding up throughout the season, and keep eating consistently at the same time every day… He’s been doing a great job with that.”
With the help of this new LSU staff, both the on-field and off-field personnel, Baskerville’s game has exploded. As the back half of the season continues, the senior linebacker has the chance to continue evolving his game to help elevate this defense to new heights.
Baskerville has sacrificed his entire LSU career, but now it’s all coming together in his final season for the Tigers. Leading the Tigers’ defense alongside a talented linebacker group, his impact has changed the demeanor of this unit.
