By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, TIGER RAG STAFF Reporter
LSU linebacker West Weeks enters his fifth season of college football getting to do what few get the chance to. Weeks gets to play with both of his brothers, Whit and Zach. Weeks transferred to LSU to meet his brother Whit after playing a season with the University of Virginia.
Year five looks a bit different for West. He is joined by his youngest brother Zach in Baton Rouge. Now, the Weeks boys find themselves playing with each other for one last season in Baton Rouge.
Last season was less than ideal for West. He dealt with multiple nagging injuries that kept him out of the rotation, but he saw it as a blessing in disguise. Weeks ended up meeting with head coach Brian Kelly during the season to discuss his options. Kelly and Weeks agreed that it would be best to redshirt – allowing him to play another season in Baton Rouge – this time with the entire family.
West and Whit live with each other, but Zach lives in the freshman dorms. Although the three do not all live together, they spend plenty of time with each other. Weeks enjoys having both brothers around and says that he is helping Zach get accustomed to football in the boot.
“I think he’s still figuring it all out, but I think he’s come a long way from the beginning of the summer to now. It’s been fun trying to help him learn the playbook,” Weeks said.
Weeks has been lining up with the first-team defense as one of the middle linebackers. He lines up next to Whit. Playing with Whit is something that brings a certain spark to West’s game.
“Playing with Whit brings lots of joy. It kind of brings that kid type of joy back to the game knowing you’ve got your brother playing right beside you,” Weeks said.
Not only does playing alongside Whit bring an immense joy to West, but also brings a special advantage that other linebackers in the country are wishing they had. Since the two played football with each other for so long, they have a connection that helps them communicate on the field better than other linebackers are able to.
“I can almost say what he’s going to say before he says it and he can do the same for me, so we’ve been on the same page,” Weeks said.
Communication is one of the most important phases of the game, specifically on defense. Weeks says that being able to communicate will not only help the linebacker duo, but the entire defense as an entire unit.
“We know if we’re communicating with each other, it’s going to trickle down to everybody else,” Weeks said.
Weeks added that second-year defensive coordinator Blake Baker is preaching improvement within the smaller details. Weeks says that the unit is working on disguising blitzes and coverages which will help them become more disruptive. The fifth-year senior looks to add to the recklessness of Baker’s scheme this season.
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