By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
LSU linebacker Whit Weeks played in only eight games last season because of an ankle injury and watched the Tigers drop from No. 3 in the country to 7-6 and 3-5 in the Southeastern Conference.
This will be his senior and final season at LSU, and he wants to leave on a much higher note than five losses in the last seven games, which was the case last year.
“I want to bring back that nasty defense mentality down to the bayou,” Weeks said on the “In The Bayou With Tyrann Mathieu” podcast last week. “Teams used to fear to play LSU defenses. That’s what I want to bring back to this place like when I used to watch you play.”
Whit Weeks reflects on what it’s meant to share the field at LSU with both his older and younger brothers 🫶
— In The Bayou With Tyrann Mathieu (@InTheBayouPod) June 30, 2026
"It’s special to see how our roles [have changed], because last year it was me and Zach looking up to West. Now West has moved on… and now it’s Zach looking up to me,… pic.twitter.com/KRgPWChmSP
Mathieu played defensive back on one of the greatest LSU defenses in history in 2011 when the Tigers went 13-0, won the Southeastern Conference at 8-0 and reached the national championship game before losing to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.
“This is my last year,” Weeks said. “I’ve only got a couple more opportunities in my life to play in that stadium, so I’m going to cherish it.”
Now healthy, Weeks hopes to return to his 2024 form when he was a first team All-SEC linebacker as he finished second in the league and ninth nationally in tackles with 125, including 10 for losses along with 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and an nterception.
LSU, which is ranked as high as No. 8 in the preseason polls, opens the 2026 season on Sept. 5 against Clemson (6:30 p.m., ABC) in Tiger Stadium.
Before LSU’s defense can be nasty it has to be more consistent and communicate better.
“You turn on the tape last year, and any big play we busted, you can point to a miscommunication,” Weeks said. “We were not on the same page. One person thinks you’re in one thing, and somebody else another, and you’re screwed. It’s about being consistent in your work right now.”
It will be year three under defensive coordinator Blake Baker, who has steadily improved the defense, and year one under head coach Lane Kiffin, formerly of Ole Miss.
“The biggest thing is that he is focused on every little detail,” Weeks said of Kiffin. “He doesn’t cut any corners at all as far as what he expects, not only from his players, but from his coaches as well. That’s what really has been standing out to me – the work he expects out of his coaches and out of his entire staff.”
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