LSU Linebacker Davhon Keys Had To Deliver On His Very 1st Play After Replacing Injured Whit Weeks

By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor

There was no time for mixed emotions from LSU backup linebacker Davhon Keys Saturday night when starting linebacker Whit Weeks hurriedly hopped off the field on one leg and headed to the injury tent with what would later be called a broken fibula.

Davhon Keys, a junior from Aledo, Texas, who replaced Weeks in the five games he missed last season, had to get right to work. It was fourth-and-one with Texas A&M at its 34-yard line.

“The first thing is you’re devastated,” Keys said Tuesday afternoon during player interviews. “Because you never like to see anyone getting hurt. But then you know you’ve got to flip that mindset. You know you’ve got to go in for him. And he put his body on the line. So, you’ve got to go put your body on the line, too, and show him that you’re willing to ride for him.”

Weeks would have been proud. Keys nailed Aggies’ running back Carsyn Baker for no gain, and LSU took over on downs. Just moments before, LSU had converted a fourth-and-one with a fake run to the middle and 57-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Sam Leavitt to wide receiver Jackson Harris for a 21-3 lead.

“We scored, and then they tried a fourth-and-one, and we stopped them,” LSU coach Lane Kiffin said. “I thought those were two really critical factors in the game.”

LSU proceeded to drive 34 yards in five plays for another touchdown and 28-3 lead on its way to a 35-6 victory.

“It was definitely an impactful play,” Keys said of his stop, but the result did not surprise him because of the preparation by defensive coordinator Blake Baker.

“It was second nature,” he said. “Coach Baker always puts us in the right spot. Trust your coaches and do what you’re supposed to do, and you’re going to make plays.”

Keys finished the game with five solo tackles and will start for Weeks when the No. 11 Tigers (3-1, 1-1 SEC) host McNeese State (2-3, 1-2 Southland Conference) on Saturday (6:45 p.m., SEC Network). He made a lot of plays last season as well as he finished second in the SEC with 92 tackles after starting only five games of the 13 in which he played. Four times he had double-digit tackles, including 15 in the win over Florida.

Whit Weeks has surgery, but timeline for possible but unlikely return this season unknown.https://t.co/lpEGLpDxDh

— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) September 28, 2026

But he knows he has to up his game with Weeks expected to be out for so long.

“Whit’s a very high energy guy, so I have to starting bringing that energy,” he said. “The juice has to come from the linebackers. And stepping up for Whit, I have to starting bringing the juice. I have to start getting guys going if we’re slacking, make corrections and speak up.”

Keys will join forces with senior starting linebacker TJ Dottery, a transfer from Ole Miss who leads LSU with 26 tackles, including nine solo stops, and has four quarterback hurries, three pass breakups and two forced fumbles. Weeks was No. 2 in tackles with 23 with 10 solos, 2.5 stops for loss, a pass breakup and three hurries.

Keys is eighth on the team in tackles with 11 with six solos and one tackle for loss.

“I went through spring with TJ,” said Keys, who was with the first team all spring as Weeks missed the drills recovering from a previous leg injury. “It’s going to be like riding a bike. We’re back together.”