Texas Tech University Athletics
2024 Football Roster
Roster
C.J. Baskerville
- Position:
- Defensive Back
- Height:
- 6-3
- Weight:
- 210
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- North Richland Hills, Texas
- High School:
- Richland
2024ย SEASON (SENIOR)
Consistent senior leader for the Red Raiders throughout his final year โฆ appeared and started in all 13 games at safety โฆ was one of seven players on the team to start in all 13 games and one of four to do so from the defensive side of the ball, joining fellow defensive back Maurion Horn and linebackers Jacob Rodriguez and Ben Roberts โฆ finished as Texas Techโs third-leading tackler with 78 stops, including 2.5 that went for a loss โฆ trailed only Rodriguez (127) and Roberts (83) for total tackles, which led the defensive backs room โฆ consistent ball-hawk with a team-leading four interceptions and four additional pass breakups โฆ all four interceptions came during Big 12 play with three of those being in wins โฆ recorded five or more tackles in nine different games with seven or more stops in seven contests โฆ credited with 895 defensive snaps played by Pro Football Focus, which led the defense โฆ publication awarded him a 76.1 grade in run defense, which was second on the team โฆ IN NCAA RANKINGS: ranked tied for 21st nationally for total interceptions (4) and 30th for interceptions per game (0.3) โฆ IN BIG 12 RANKINGS: closed the season tied for third in total interceptions and was fifth for interceptions per game โฆ was 20th overall in the conference for total tackles and ninth among defensive backs โฆ SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: began the year with nine tackles in the season opener against Abilene Christian (8/31) before combining for seven during the rest of non-conference play with five at Washington State (9/7) and two versus North Texas (9/14) โฆ one of his stops at Washington State went for a one-yard loss โฆ limited to only three tackles in the Big 12 opening win over Arizona State (9/21) but picked off a key pass for his first interception of the year โฆ made a leaping grab near opposite sideline to intercept Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt on the Sun Devilsโ opening drive โฆ interception gave the Red Raiders the ball in Arizona State territory, setting up an eventual Josh Kelly touchdown for an early 14-0 lead โฆ followed with nine tackles and a pass breakup in the win over Cincinnati (9/28) โฆ went on the road to deliver seven tackles and an interception in the victory at Arizona (10/5) โฆ interception came right before halftime, giving the Red Raiders the ball back with 31 seconds remaining for three passes to Caleb Douglas and an eventual Gino Garcia field goal for an 18-3 lead โฆ had five tackles and a pass breakup versus Baylor (10/19) โฆ followed with four tackles, including 1.5 for a loss, and an interception midway through the second quarter at TCU (10/26) โฆ began the month of November with six tackles and a pass breakup at Iowa State (11/2) and three stops versus Colorado (11/23) โฆ recorded seven stops in the road win at Oklahoma State (11/23) and then eight tackles and an interception in his final game inside Jones AT&T Stadium versus West Virginia (11/3) โฆ picket off West Virginia quarterback Garret Greene near midfield, setting up an eventual Tahj Brooks 37-yard touchdown scamper for a 28-3 lead in the second quarter โฆ wrapped his collegiate career with a season-high 10 tackles and another pass breakup in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl versus Arkansas (12/27) โฆ marked the second game with double-digit tackles in his career after previously totaling 11 at Kansas in 2023 โฆ AWARDS AND HONORS: recognized as an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection by the conference coaches for the second-consecutive season.
2023 SEASON (JUNIOR)
An immediate impact in the secondary during first season as a Red Raider โฆ appeared in 11 games with 10 starts, starting the season at the โstarโ position before moving to a deep safety late in the year โฆ missed both the Oregon and K-State games due to injury โฆ finished as the Red Raidersโ second-leading tackler with 78 stops (54 solo), including 4.5 for a loss โฆ one of three Red Raiders with multiple interceptions with two picks on the year to go with five pass breakups โฆ notched at least four tackles in all 11 games played and had seven or more in six of those contests โฆ was the highest-graded defensive player on the roster by Pro Football Focus at 79.4 for the year โฆ outlet graded him higher, in particular, for rush defense (82.4) and his tackling ability (92.7), both of which led the team โฆ credited with playing in 669 total defensive snaps, which ranked fourth on the team โฆ also inserted for 64 snaps on special teams, seeing time on every unit throughout the season โฆ SEASON HIGHLIGHTS: made his Red Raider debut with four tackles, including a career-high 1.5 for a loss, against Wyoming (9/2) โฆ injured late in that contest, forcing him to miss the Oregon game the next week โฆ returned for the non-conference finale against Tarleton State (9/16), recording six tackles and a pair of pass breakups โฆ opened Big 12 play a week later with seven tackles at West Virginia (9/23) โฆ had a tackle for loss in each of the next two games, finishing with nine stops versus Houston (9/3) and six at Baylor (10/7) โฆ came back from his second game away due to injury to record five stops and a pass breakup at BYU (10/21) and then nine tackles in the Thursday night victory over TCU (11/2) โฆ followed with a career-high 11 stops at Kansas (11/11), his first career outing with double-digit tackles โฆ combined for 36 tackles over the final four games thanks to seven against UCF (11/18) and nine at Texas (11/24) โฆ notched his second career interception and first as a Red Raider against the Knights after stepping in front of a Jordan Plumlee pass attempt late in the third quarter โฆ interception came on UCFโs first play of the drive and set up a Texas Tech field goal by Gino Garcia โฆ made his final interception of the season in the Radiant Technologies Independence Bowl against Cal (12/16), essentially sealing the victory with 5:52 remaining in the fourth quarter โฆ the Red Raiders started the ensuing drive at the Cal 20 yard line, setting up a Gino Garcia field goal to take a 34-14 lead โฆ added five tackles in the win, including one for a loss earlier in the third quarter โฆ AWARDS AND HONORS: recognized as an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection by the conference coaches.
PRIOR TO TEXAS TECH
Arrivedย at Texas Tech with two years of eligibility remaining after playing two seasons at San Diego State โฆ saw action in 22 games with 11 starts over his career โฆ recorded 75 tackles (43 solo) over his two seasons, including 2.5 that went for a loss โฆ had seven passes defended during that span to go along with an interception and fumble recovery โฆ 2022 SEASON (SOPHOMORE): appeared in eight games overall with seven starts for the Aztecs โฆ earned the start in each of the first seven games of the season at SDSUโs โwarriorโ safety position โฆ totaled 36 tackles (20 solo), including 1.5 for a loss, to go along with three pass breakups โฆ had at least four tackles in each of the first five games of the season with six against Arizona (9/3), eight versus Idaho State (9/10), four at Utah (9/17), eight against Toledo (9/24) and five at Boise State (9/30) โฆ his eight tackles versus both Idaho State and Toledo were one off his career high from his 2021 true freshman season โฆ also had four stops in the win at Nevada (10/22) โฆ missed four-consecutive games until returning in the regular-season finale against Air Force โฆ 2021 SEASON (FRESHMAN): played in all 14 games on the season, starting the final four ... had 39 tackles (23 solo), including a tackle for loss, three pass breakups, an interception and a 13-yard fumble recovery across 383 snaps ... saw increased playing time as the season progressed โฆ closed the season with at least three tackles in each of the final five games โฆ started that run with three stops against Nevada (11/13) before following with six tackles at UNLV (11/19), five versus Boise State (11/26), nine against Utah State (12/4) and nine again versus UTSA in the Frisco Bowl โฆ performance versus Utah State marked a career-high in tackles as he also notched two pass breakups for the first time in the Mountain West Championship game โฆ marked the first time in his career to lead the team in tackles for a game โฆ named the Defensive MVP of the Frisco Bowl after matching his career-high for tackles, while adding his first career interception โฆ the key interception led to an Aztec touchdown โฆ according to Pro Football Focus, set season-high marks in defensive rating (78.9, min. 10 snaps), pass coverage (78.5, min. 10 snaps), rush defense (70.9) and tackling (85.8) ... was also named to the USA Today All-Bowl team and to the Bleacher Report second team.
HIGH SCHOOL
Attended Richland High School in North Richland Hills, Texas โฆ was an all-district selection as a safety and a wide receiver โฆ had 68 tackles as a junior (2019) with an interception and a forced fumble on defense โฆ on offense, totaled 59 catches for 802 yards (13.6 avg.) and six touchdowns โฆ also competed on the track and field team at RHS, specializing in the 200 meters and long jump โฆ a consensus three-star recruit by Rivals, 247sports and ESPN โฆ received a scout grade of 88 by 247sports and 77 by ESPN โฆ rated as the 48th-best safety in the 2021 signing class and the 78th overall recruit in Texas โฆ attended Katy HS in the Houston area through his sophomore season, briefly reached the Varsity level during his freshman season ... picked SDSU over offers from Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Duke, Syracuse, Houston, Tulsa, SMU, Kansas and North Texas ... was recruited by several programs to play wide receiver as he was a two-way player at Richland.
PERSONAL
Christopher Julien Baskerville โฆ went by Julien as a child before he started using C.J., which developed upon starting to play sportsย ...ย born in Houston to parents Skip and Sharon Baskerville on the date of their wedding anniversaryย โฆ his family moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex when his father was hired as an associate superintendent at Birdville ISD after his sophomore year in high school ... Skip is also a student at Texas Tech, enrolling in a distance learning program to pursue a doctorate in educational leadership ... both he and C.J. enrolledย at Tech January 2023ย ... mother Sharon is also in the education sector ... is the youngest child of three; has two older brothers, Christian, the oldest, and Chandler ...ย working toward a finance degree at Texas Tech.
