As the transfer portal is set to open up on Friday, the Lane Kiffin and LSU landed a huge win when star linebacker Whit Weeks announced that he is returning to Baton Rouge for his senior season.
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"College Football is too hard to leave, and there is no better place in the country to be right now than Baton Rouge, Louisiana. All I want to do is ball in the purple and gold. See you in September,” Weeks said in an Instagram post on Thursday afternoon.
After battling injury for most of the 2025 season, Weeks will look to lead another strong season for LSU's defense under the guidance of defensive coordinator Blake Baker in 2026.
Committed to The Boot
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) January 1, 2026
Year 4 | @WeeksWhit pic.twitter.com/pxj40AWsuC
Whit Weeks returning to LSU for senior season in 2026
Weeks burst onto the scene in 2024, earning First-Team All-SEC honors and SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors on two occasions. He racked up 125 tackles on the season, which ranked 2nd in the SEC and 9th nationally.
As the captain of LSU's defense, Weeks entered 2025 with high hopes. However, his junior campaign was plagued by injuries and he missed significant time during the second half of the season. He suffered a broken foot at Ole Miss on September 27, and was banged up down the stretch against Western Kentucky and Oklahoma. In turn, Weeks' tackles total of 125 from a season ago dropped to 31 this season. In addition, his sack total dropped from 10.0 in 2024 to 3.0 in 2025.
Getting Weeks back for 2026 is a huge win for LSU. Weeks is the unquestioned leader of Baker's defense, and when healthy, is one of the best tacklers in all of college football. He is able to make plays all over the field, which will be a huge key for LSU in 2026 as the Tigers look to replace several key playmakers such as CB Mansoor Delane and S AJ Haulcy.
The 2026 season will be Weeks' final year of eligibility. After such a disappointing 2025 season, Weeks will undoubtedly be fired up to lead LSU to bounce back campaign next season.