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How does one follow up an exciting, exilerating debut???
How does one answer those unassailable expectations, a bar that must be met, then superseded, no, shattered, specifically when it comes to stats....a damned if you do, damned if you don't requiem for superstardom....
LSU linebacker Whit Weeks will face similar expectations on the cusp of year 2, the frequently difficult sophomore year...for many players a season of adaptation, maturity against adversity, development, and possibly waiting one's turn....
...yet something tells me #40 won't suffer anything like a traditional "sophomore slump":
For one thing, Weeks' career arc never followed a conventional script to begin with, throughout his rise from high 4 star recruit playing 8 different positions at Oconee High to freshman standout as a Tiger last fall....transforming into a thoroughbred on the fast track right before our very eyes.....a rare star & fan favorite on a historically awful defensive unit.
But due to the Georgia native's next level speed, anticipation, tackling prowess, and confident mentality, attributes Weeks displayed during every outing as a freshman, expectations remain as high as ever for the second year Tiger linebacker.
Featuring across 11 of LSU's 13 games, Weeks recorded 49 tackles (6th on the team), 7 QB pressures, 3.5 TFLs and 0.5 sack, including 4 appearances with 8 or more tackles.
Headlined by his starting debut @ Mississippi State, leading the team with 8 tackles in the Tigers' finest defensive performance of the season, followed up by 9 tackles in a win over Arkansas, it was curious when Weeks was routinely benched for veteran LB Omar Speights, a player who grossly underperformed in comparison to Weeks.
Despite providing a spark for Matt House's pitiful defense, Weeks only appeared across 305 snaps, the 14th most of any Tiger, left on the bench in critical defeats vs Alabama and the first half of a debilitating loss to Ole Miss.
During Weeks' 3 starts @ Miss State, vs Arkansas and on the road again @ Mizzou, it's no coincidence LSU's historically poor defense played their better games of 2023, subsequently winning all three contests.
The expansive range of Weeks' athleticism continuously freed up fellow linebackers Harold Perkins and Greg Penn III to do what they do best:
For Perkins, he could play in his free, reactive role;
Concerning Penn, the speed of Weeks helped Penn be able to make plays without being exposed by the speed of faster opponents....
Whit quickly became the insurance policy for a porous defense, patrolling the middle of the field, capable of finding the ball & hunting its carrier down with a new school / old school mix of transcendent defensive athleticism & tough, gritty "whatever it takes" footballing exhibitionism.
The mere fact Weeks didn't immediately become a huge favorite & reliable starter for former defensive coordinator Matt House should've been grounds for his firing alone.
Now, after 2024 Spring camp where Weeks stood in tandem alongside his older brother West, working as the 2nd string linebacker setup behind Perkins & Penn, Whit could face another campaign where he fights for every single snap.
Unlike House's inexplicable ostracizing of Weeks halfway through last fall, what's going on now isn't due to coaches overlooking Weeks' abilities.
Rather, defensive coordinator Blake Baker's usage of the sophomore could fall prey to the former Mizzou coordinator favoring a two linebacker set up, joined by a player in the hybrid strong safety / nickel Star position.
Regardless, we've witnessed Weeks rotate into practices or scrimmages quite often, either alongside his brother leading the highly productive & impressive second unit or next to Perkins as the first rotational option.
Perhaps 2024 evolves into a trial by fire campaign where Weeks finds his way onto the field more than last fall, yet not quite to the starting level many envisioned due to the veteran presence of Penn.
Still, if defensive coordinator Blake Baker is anywhere close to a top defensive coach, he'll understand just how valuable the searing pace, motor, and playmaking brutality of Whit Weeks will become against the quickest, most athletically strapped opponents. If he continues his upwards trajectory, Weeks will no doubt be a player Baker will rely upon during the Tigers' long, wild rollercoaster schedule ahead.
By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
©️ 2024 Uninterrupted Writings Inc