Through four games, LSU ranks fourth nationally in total defense. But the Tigers will have to play the rest of the season without the heart and soul of that unit.
Senior linebacker Whit Weeks is out for the foreseeable future after suffering a broken leg in the third quarter of LSU’s 35-6 blowout of Texas A&M.
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LSUOdyssey.com reports Weeks will undergo surgery Monday morning. Coach Lane Kiffin said Sunday that LSU should have a better idea after surgery whether the injury will end Weeks’ season.
It’s another major injury to Weeks’ right leg. He suffered a dislocated ankle in the first half of the Texas Bowl on December 31st, 2024, then broke that same ankle against Ole Miss last season, forcing him to miss five games.
Weeks had offseason surgery and said before preseason camp that he was 100 percent healthy. He backed that up on the field, ranking second on the team with 23 tackles while recording 2.5 tackles for loss.
The Tigers do have experience behind Weeks. Davhon Keys led LSU in tackles last season with 92, while redshirt sophomore Ty Singleton is also expected to see more playing time.
Kiffin also announced that backup linebacker Charles Ross is out for the season with a torn ACL.
The injuries have become a major concern for LSU. Kiffin says he’s never been part of a team that has lost this many significant players to season-ending injuries or extended absences this early in the seaosn.
LSU lost defensive end Gabe Reliford and cornerback Aidan Anding to season-ending injuries during spring football. In the regular season, receiver and kick returner Phillip Wright and safety Dashawn Spears have also been lost for the year.
Star tight end Trey’Dez Green is expected to miss several weeks. CBS Sports reported Sunday that Green is targeting a return against Alabama on November 7th, which would have him missing LSU’s next four games.
Kiffin says the injuries are exposing a lack of depth on the roster in his first season at LSU.
“Unfortunately, I said this would be a major challenge,” Kiffin said. “This was not a team built for a lot of top-level injuries, but here we are. I told the staff, you’ve got to earn your paychecks the rest of the year, because it’s not like we are in Week 11.”
LSU has seven SEC games remaining, but the Tigers get a break from conference play this Saturday night when McNeese visits Tiger Stadium.
