Baskerville trains for key role in Tech defense
The 2022 football season was Tim DeRuyter's first as the Texas Tech defensive coordinator, and Marquis Waters did a good job of defining what the star position can be in DeRuyter's defense.
Waters, who played at close to 220 pounds last season, spent a lot of his time rushing the passer and wreaking havoc in the box. If personnel dictates otherwise, DeRuyter has said that position also can function more like a nickel cornerback.
During the 2023 season, C.J. Baskerville will get first crack at what form the position takes. Waters, a first-team All-Big 12 selection by The Associated Press, ran out of eligibility. Tech fished Baskerville out of the NCAA transfer portal in December, hoping the 6-foot-3, 212-pound transfer from San Diego State can provide a quick fix.
"Seeing how Muddy (Waters) played it, I think I can definitely step into that role and play as well or better," Baskerville said this week.
Baskerville signed with San Diego State out of North Richland Hills Richland, played in 22 games in his two years on the West Coast and started 11. He was credited with 39 tackles, three pass breakups and an interception as a true freshman in 2021 and 36 tackles and three pass breakups in a 2022 season interrupted by injury.
Marcel Yates likes the measurables.
"His body, man. His body type," the Tech secondary coach said. "He's long. He has good weight. He works hard. Smart. He's always in the film room. He's the type of guy you want, because he's always trying to improve."
Aside from coming to a new team, the position has some key differences. Baskerville played boundary safety at San Diego State, often covering tight ends and having a lot of run-game responsibility. The star as DeRuyter deployed it last year plays to the wide side of the field, meaning he has to cover a lot of ground. As Baskerville sees it, he's also more likely to get speedier, more skilled receivers in coverage.
"It's a different one for sure," Baskerville said, comparing the two positions. "I'm excited for the role. I think there's a lot more plays to be made within the role, but it is definitely different, playing a lot more man on skill here, rather than over at San Diego State, more man on tight ends or kind of only fitting in the run whenever it's cover-3."
One positive, though, as Baskerville makes the transition: He's healthy, which he wasn't for nearly all of last season. Baskerville developed a stress fracture in the third metatarsal of his right foot and said he played through it from games two through six as it got progressively worse and caused more pain. He missed games seven through 10, not returning until the regular-season finale.
The Tech medical staff checked Baskerville's foot on his recruiting visit in December and again after he had signed and joined the team in January. He said it's caused no problems in winter conditioning or spring practice.
"I feel a lot better about it," he said, "because during the games last year, we'd be tending to it on the sideline a good bit of the time, just kind of checking up on it. I was wearing a metal plate, so it was kind of preventing me to break how I wanted to on certain routes or even runs. But being out here, I feel a hundred percent."
Baskerville, whose initials stand for Christopher Julian, said he and his mother would just as soon he go by his middle name.
"I went by Julian before," he said. "When I started sports, it kind of went to C.J. I don't know how it happened. My mom would love for me to go by Julian, but it's kind of stuck with me now. ... Honestly, (Julian) is perfectly fine with me."
Baskerville was born in Houston and was in the powerful Katy program through his sophomore year of high school, having been moved up to varsity briefly in his freshman year. His family moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex when his father, Skip Baskerville, was hired as an associate superintendent in the Birdville ISD.
After being a two-way player at Richland, Baskerville was recruited to play wide receiver by Kansas, Syracuse and Tulsa. In February of his junior year, he almost committed to Oklahoma State, but said his mother told him to not rush the decision and let the process play out.
He landed at San Diego State. And now he's back in Texas. Baskerville said he had watched the Red Raiders when he was a kid, so once his name was in the portal, he was happy to hear from James Blanchard, the Tech player personnel director. Baskerville said Richland coach Ged Kates vouched for Tech coach Joey McGuire and thought Tech would be a good spot for him.
The proximity to family played a key part in the decision, too.
"Being only 4 1/2 hours away from home and stepping into a program that's on a roll, as we are, I thought it was a great opportunity," Baskerville said. "I still believe that."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: C.J. Baskerville trains to take key spot in Texas Tech defense
