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By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
As I have after every season of full coverage before, LSUOdyssey presents our Top 10 LSU Tigers of 2024 countdown for your enjoyment.
OUR PAST TOP 10s HERE
TOP 10 OF 2024
2. WHIT WEEKS
125 TOTAL TACKLES (1st)
-61 SOLO TACKLES (1st in SEC)
25 QB PRESSURES
-8 QB HITS
10 TFLs (2nd)
3.5 SACKS (3rd)
3 PBUs
2 FFs
1 INT
Exhibiting a ferocity and commitment to football violence unlike any Tiger witnessed by LSU Nation since the departure of Devin White or Jamal Adams, sophomore linebacker colossus Whit Weeks wasn't only LSU's 2024 leading tackler, he was the heartbeat of Blake Baker's defense, a key team leader & undisputedly among the best defenders in the country.
Nobody wants to play or coach against Whit Weeks....
Causing havoc in the backfield or pocket, grinding out tough tackles against elite speed or bruising power, shedding blockers like he was John Gotti beating federal charges, hunting ball carriers sideline to sideline on a concerted contact rampage...cutting the wild visage of McConaughey starring as Rambo, sporting a smooth honey-dipped Georgia accent that only humbly hints at his tyrannical, relentless dominion as a defender.....
.....without reservation or hyperbole, Whit Weeks is a monstrous talent, a Tiger who has only just begun to scratch the surface of what is possible, even after a pair of stellar campaigns at LSU.
It's a bit concerning that Weeks, LSU's leading tackler across 2024 and freshman breakout during big games in 2023, would fight for scraps off the bench over the first 2 weeks of this past season...that is until Harold Perkins went down with a year ending knee injury vs UCLA. Then, rather rapidly, Weeks became the cornerstone of Blake Baker's 2024 defense.
Even as Baker's group lost Tiger starters like Perkins or Jacobian Guillory to season ending injuries, played two freshmen at defensive tackle and started another at linebacker, with the safety position continuing to be a major issue, it's not a stretch for anyone to suggest the gritty playmaking & steely leadership of Whit Weeks actually saved the Tigers from another deplorable defensive season...
Posting 6 performances with 10+ tackles, including 3 games where Whit piled up 17 or more, the Athens-born linebacker played every snap like a heat seeking missile, quickly becoming a transcendent fan favorite and feared SEC defender.
The former Oconee High standout made plays that decided games for LSU, such as his "Honky Badger" moment vs Arkansas, batting the ball up in the air, intercepting it inside the Razorbacks' own 10 yard line, and nearly taking it to the house (tackled at the 1 yard line), Weeks' individual instincts & outrageous athleticism turned a 16-10 game into a 24-10 runaway;
He racked up 18 tackles vs Ole Miss, as well as a monumental forced fumble right before halftime against the Rebels that greatly assisted LSU's double digit comeback win;
His outing vs Oklahoma was mouth watering brutality at its finest, overloading the stat sheet with 17 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble...
At times a one man wrecking crew, bulldozing skill position players & quarterbacks alike, Weeks was ready for the next level of his development.
I'm stunned Whit wasn't even mentioned for a Butkus Award nomination at year's end, leading the SEC in total tackles for much of the year, ranking 1st in solo stops at the finish line, while showcasing a complete defensive resume. However, we needed just one afternoon on New Year's Eve to find out his teammates & coaches have already enshrined him:
Injuring his fibula & dislocating an ankle during the final game of the year, his lower leg buckling beneath him on a routine tackle vs Baylor, we all knew something was wrong: when a gamer like Weeks hits the floor in agony...and doesn't spring back up, there was a knowing, ominous hush that fell over Houston's NRG Stadium.
The elite linebacker's ankle was bent in the wrong direction, his fibula would need surgery, and LSU's defensive captain was on the turf going through the first major injury of his career.
These gruesome scenes affected his teammates, none moreso than his own older brother West, to the point the entire LSU squad ran out on to the field and, one by one standing as a procession of tribute, each 2024 Tiger gave Whit their well wishes, prayers & personal handshakes...
Of course, Whit Weeks wasn't going to ride to the tunnel with his head bowed, agonizing, demoralized, instead he raised both arms to the sky repeatedly and yelled, "let's go!" successfully stirring up the disheartened crowd into a heap of noise.
Whit immediately under went successful surgery to repair his fibula & dislocated ankle and is already out with his teammates participating in winter workouts....of course, as a non-passive spectator.
Slated for full recovery by June, Weeks' return will be eagerly anticipated, with every milestone celebrated on his way back to the field.
Make no mistake, Whit Wheeks is LSU's most valuable defender...he was in 2024, he will be in 2025, and judging by LSU's wins and losses with or without him as a freshman, he probably was the most valuable defender in 2023, too (that 2023 LSU team finished undefeated when Weeks started & lost all 3 games in which he didn't).
Even as Harold Perkins or Jacobian Guillory come back from season-ending injuries, Weeks will forever be cast as the prime showstopper his teammates, coaches and fans know they can count on....but everyone, including Whit himself must be patient with the recovery process and only return Weeks back to the field when he's at 100%.....
#1 NEXT!!!
THANK YOU
FOR READING
By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
©️ 2025 Uninterrupted Writings Inc
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