It’s Getting Hot in Here: Temperature Rising with Perkins and Weeks Return

By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, TIGER RAG STAFF Reporter

LSU football was left concerned when linebacker Whit Weeks went down with a gruesome leg injury during the Texas Bowl on New Year’s Eve. The Tigers did not know what their linebacker room would look like during the summer with an injured Weeks and Harold Perkins Jr.

Weeks eventually would make a full recovery after undergoing surgery on a fractured tibia. Perkins also made a full recovery from a torn ACL. The return of both linebackers is something that excites not only fans, but head coach Brian Kelly.

“When somebody’s not around in a room, you can feel the temperature change a little bit. The temperature is a little different when those two guys are in the room,” Kelly said.

Opposed to some quiet spring practices, the vibe felt incredibly different with Weeks and Perkins back at full speed on Wednesday. The two talented linebackers look the part as Perkins filled the Star position and Weeks as one of the two middle linebackers. Having the two talented players back brings back a sense of presence and leadership to the entire team.

“We can all appreciate it’s day one, but their presence is impactful. You see them, you feel them, you hear them,” Kelly said.

“It’s hard to replace great players but it’s even harder to replace great leaders and those guy lead by example and make a huge difference,” Kelly added.

Kelly is not the only one that is excited about the two linebackers returning to the field. Weeks expressed his excitement of playing alongside Perkins at SEC Media Days.

“I cannot wait to be out there playing with Harold. He’s the best defensive college football player in the world. He makes it easy to be a good football player because you know he’s going to be out there making plays and you want to make plays for him too,” Weeks said at SEC Media Days in Atlanta in mid July.

Weeks says that Perkins is “the best athlete I’ve probably ever seen” and does not think that his past injuries will keep him from being himself on the field.

Perkins and Weeks were both named to the 2025 Butkus Award preseason award watch list, the award that is given to the best linebacker in the nation.

LSU only has one Butkus Award winner – Devin White –receiving the award for the best linebacker in 2018. White led the SEC in tackles with 123 with 12 tackles for loss, three sacks, six pass breakups, and three forced fumbles.

After a successful sophomore campaign, Weeks was also named to the 2025 Bronko Nagurski Preseason Watch List, which is awarded to the best defensive player in the nation.

The only Nagurski Award winner in LSU history is none other than defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, who took home the award in 2007. Dorsey totaled 69 tackles, including a stellar seven sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss and four pass breakups.

LSU is already expected to get abundant production from its linebacker room, but if Perkins can be the playmaker he is capable of being at the star position, then the Tigers should be reckless in the box.