In 2024, Whit Weeks was the SEC's most productive linebacker. In 2025, a broken ankle took most of his season. Now he's healthy, a preseason All-American, and the heartbeat of LSU's defense -- with the form to chase every award the position has.
6′3″ · 223 lb · Watkinsville, GA · Oconee County HS
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
How he plays
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait.
QB hurries: 93rd percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
tackles · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 8 tackles, 1 TFL, at Ole Miss
Statement game18 tackles · 2 TFL · 1 sackvs Ole Miss (FBS) · W 29-26
Top 0.1% tackles game since 2021.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
In 2024, Whit Weeks was the SEC's most productive linebacker. In 2025, a broken ankle took most of his season. Now he's healthy, a preseason All-American, and the heartbeat of LSU's defense -- with the form to chase every award the position has.
Buzz vs Tape
His own fans are far more bullish than the rival fanbase.
The transfer portal is officially open and LSU already has significant roster movement to break down. The Tigers scored a massive early win by retaining Whit Weeks and DJ Pickett , two players Lane Kiffin and his staff prioritized keeping…
Also worth knowing:
The 2024 tape is the case: 125 tackles, second-most in the SEC, with 10 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception, first-team All-SEC. Then 2025 broke -- literally, an ankle at Ole Miss in late September that limited him to eight games and 31 tackles before he shut it down. He could have left on his 2024 reputation; instead he came back for his senior year, forgoing the 2026 draft. The voters still see it: he's an AP preseason first-team All-American and an ESPN-named Butkus contender entering 2026. The forward stakes are health and form -- if he plays a full season at his 2024 level, he's in the conversation for every major defensive award, and LSU has the linchpin a feared front seven is built around. For Weeks, 2026 is the year the comeback becomes the coronation.
His career
He arrived as a blue-chip recruit and played like one.
Weeks is a downhill, sideline-to-sideline hammer at 6-2, around 224. Scouts (Bleacher Report's 2026 report and draft profiles) credit "explosive trigger and closing burst" with the range to cover the field, and "advanced diagnostic skills" -- he "identifies plays pre-snap and reacts with zero hesitation" -- plus "good stick and arm-over moves" as a blitzer. The production is the proof: 125 tackles, 10 for loss and 3.5 sacks in his healthy 2024. He plays the run "extremely physical and willing to stick his head into traffic." The honest edge, per the same reports, is a tackling habit -- he "likes to lunge and leave his feet," which leads to the occasional miss. He's an every-down, instinctive thumper whose ceiling, when healthy, is the best linebacker in his conference.
Written by our staff.
Career arc
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-SEC · 1ST TEAM
All-SEC 1st team (2024)
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: Brian Kelly, Frank Wilson, and Lane Kiffin. Multi-era developmental context.
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 51-10vs Clemson | 6 | 2 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 45-14vs Louisiana Tech | 7 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 24-32@ Ole Miss | 8 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 8 tackles |
| Total | 21 | 11 | 2.5 | 0.0 | — | 1 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 51–10
vs Clemson
1.5 tackles for loss · 6 tackles · 1 hurries
Dominant 41-point win at home against Clemson.
With S. Leavitt — 230 yds · 1 TD · 1 INT · 113 rush yds (12 car) · 2 TD · W. Watkins — 14 rush yds (1 car)
Since week 2: +8 tackles, +1 tackle for loss, +1 pass breakup.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: qb hurries (93rd percentile). Strength: tackles for loss (87th percentile).
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Defender profile · Production by role
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
21tackles this seasonTFL rate
12%2 TFLSack rate
0%0 sacksPD rate
5%1 pass breakups21 tackles · 2 for loss.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 6.5 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road1g | 8.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 7.0 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Lane Kiffin
Pass share
41.9%
104 pass / 144 run
Plays / game
82.7
3 games
Team sack rate
6.1%
115 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning, fast tempo.
Player standing · 2026
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Play style
Weeks is a downhill, sideline-to-sideline hammer at 6-2, around 224. Scouts (Bleacher Report's 2026 report and draft profiles) credit "explosive trigger and closing burst" with the range to cover the field, and "advanced diagnostic skills" -- he "identifies plays pre-snap and reacts with zero hesitation" -- plus "good stick and arm-over moves" as a blitzer. The production is the proof: 125 tackles, 10 for loss and 3.5 sacks in his healthy 2024. He plays the run "extremely physical and willing to stick his head into traffic." The honest edge, per the same reports, is a tackling habit -- he "likes to lunge and leave his feet," which leads to the occasional miss. He's an every-down, instinctive thumper whose ceiling, when healthy, is the best linebacker in his conference.
Our classifier reads him the same way: is steady in every phase without a signature trait.
Returning starter at linebacker for a 7-6 LSU team that went +3 in the portal.
Player DNA
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Smael Mondon Jr.’s 2022 season.
Matches Smael on
Differs from Smael on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Blayne Myrick's senior season at Miami (OH) (2026).
Matches Blayne on
Differs from Blayne on
Player DNA
6 more on the roster · LSU team page