GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
It’s not enough that there are now three Weeks brothers on the LSU football team.
There is the oldest West, who is a senior starting linebacker, junior Whit Weeks, who was a first team All-SEC linebacker last season and a preseason All-American this year, and true freshman linebacker Zach Weeks.
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And they’ve recruited a fourth bro – senior Florida transfer defensive end Jack Pyburn.
“Pretty much at this point,” Whit said when asked if Pyburn is an honorary Weeks. “He looks like us, too, huh?”
And he shares the same over-caffeinated passion for the game of the Weeks, particularly Whit.
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“I love playing with him because I feel like our energies match very similarly,” Whit said. “He’s a guy who loves being out there, loves to make plays. I’m the first one their getting hyped for him when he makes a big play, and he’s the first one on me when I make a big play.”
One won’t be able to tell the Weeks without a scorecard Saturday when the No. 9 Tigers play at No. 4 Clemson (6:30 p.m., ABC) in Clemson, South Carolina, which is less than two hours away from the Weeks’ home at Watkinsville, Georgia, in Oconee County.
“We’ve got a lot of people coming to the game,” Whit said this week. “It feels like everybody in Oconee County wants to come to this game. Everybody’s asking my dad for tickets. It’s going to be cool. I love going to play in huge stadiums and stadiums that are legendary. I wasn’t recruited by Clemson, and I’ve never been to that stadium. So, I’m excited to go.”
And he will be lining up next to his older brother at linebacker.
“I love it,” he said. “We just know exactly where each other is going to be. Our communication is on point. He’s really able to command the defense, which is cool to see.”
Their job will be to stop or slow an offense that returns much of its unit that finished 11th in the nation in total offense last season with 452 yards a game. Returning senior quarterback Cade Klubnik finished 10th in the country last year with 3,639 passing yards along with 36 touchdowns and led the Tigers to the College Football Playoff.
“Our goal is just to wreak havoc,” said Weeks, who made 10 tackles for loss last year with 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, six quarterback hurries, three batted down passes and an interception.
“What a havoc play for us is tackles for losses, turnovers and sacks,” he said. “We want to lead the country in havoc wreaking.”
With impressive new talent in the secondary and on the defensive line, Weeks is confident LSU will improve drastically on defense from a so-so season in 2024 in coordinator Blake Baker’s second season.
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“Coach Baker’s told us that so far this camp, this has been the best tackling defense statistically that he’s ever been a part of,” Weeks said. “I loved that dude to death. Coach Baker has really changed the game of football for me. I love football now more than I ever have in my life, just because of him. He’s so much fun. And he’s really simplified the game for everybody. And when it’s simpler, you can just fly around and make plays. We’ve been getting better. We’re trusting each other in the scheme, knowing exactly where everybody’s going to be.”
In the first half, though, LSU will be without starting safety A.J. Haulcy, a senior transfer from Houston who was a star of preseason camp because he has to serve a half suspension for an ejection for fighting in his last game last season for the Cougars.
Weeks had just mentioned Haulcy on Tuesday when asked if there was one player who people are not talking about who everyone will be talking about after Saturday’s game at Clemson.
“A.J. Haulcy,” Weeks said without hesitation. “Yep. It’ll be A.J. Haulcy for sure. That dude, he’s just a baller. And it’s fun to play with him becaue he plays right behind me.”
LSU will enter a loud, 81,500-seat Memorial Stadium at Clemson after five straight losses in season openers, including three under coach Brian Kelly.
“The first thing is composure,” Weeks said. “We know we’re going into a hostile environment. But it’s going to be a lot of fun. And when you go play in front of huge crowds on the road, it takes composure in order to win the game.”
The last time Weeks was on a football field in a game, he broke his ankle in the Texas Bowl win over Baylor. Now, he has two brothers with him and a third adopted one. And he is a permanent team captain.
“That’s one of the best honors I’ve had in my life,” Weeks said of the captain title. “It means a lot to me. It shows me what my teammates and the coaches think of me. My voice can be heard on this team. It’s a huge honor.”
Now, it’s time to play for both of his families.
“Oh, my gosh, I can’t wait,” he said. “It feels like we’ve been going after one another in camp for years now. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
And Weeks and Pyburn have already been working on celebrations.
“We can’t give that away yet,” he said. “You’ll see it on Saturday. We’ve got some good ones coming.”
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