Micah Baskerville Named to Butkus Award Watch List

Baskerville returns to Death Valley for a fifth season, looking to carry his success from 2021 into this fall

With the 2022 college football season right around the corner, the award watch lists are beginning to roll out with the Butkus Award releasing its 51 players on the watch list today. Included on the list is LSU linebacker Micah Baskerville, who finished second on the team in total tackles a season ago.

Baskerville started all 12 games he appeared in for the Tigers in 2021, totaling 83 tackles, nine tackles for loss, two sacks, four pass breakups and an interception. He is one of 12 SEC players to be named to the list.

Senior @Mikeyytb is on the Butkus Award watch list@DevinWhite__40 won the award in 2018, which goes to the best linebacker in college football. pic.twitter.com/8Yd6toG9lB

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) July 25, 2022

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An anchor on the Tigers defense, Baskerville and Damone Clark held down the linebacker position last season. Clark would finish as a Butkus Award Finalist in 2021 with Georgia’s Nakobe Dean taking home the hardware.

Baskerville returns to Death Valley for a fifth season with some question marks surrounding he may fit on this defense. The Tigers have some depth with the linebackers such as Mike Jones Jr., Greg Penn III, Virginia transfer West Weeks and five-star true freshman Harold Perkins arriving on campus this summer.

Perkins and DeMario Tolan are two true freshmen in this linebacker room who have the chance to compete for significant snaps this fall, leaving some hesitancy on where Baskerville may fit into the group.

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A full-time starter the last two seasons, Baskerville has shown what he’s capable of on the gridiron, but with new defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Matt House entering the mix, it’s a fresh start for each and every defensive player.

It’s clear Baskerville’s success a season ago deserves to be recognized, which is what has him placed on the Butkus Award watch list. A sideline-to-sideline guy who has all the tools to take over in his final season in Death Valley, it’ll be interesting to monitor the role he carves out for Coach House’s defense.