Kentucky football had several players who were on the preseason lists from college football awards. Defensive lineman Deone Walker was up for multiple awards. Linebacker J.J. Weaver was up for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award, and now, it has been announced that he’s a semi-finalist.
On Tuesday, the 20 semi-finalists were announced, and Weaver made the cut. The Senior is one of the Wildcats’ leaders, and is one of six semi-finalists from SEC teams.
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Here is his bio on the Witten award site:
Weaver is a four-year letterwinner and a standout linebacker for the Cats and a member of the Wuerffel Trophy and Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch Lists. Elected as a captain in three straight seasons by his teammates, Weaver overcame a torn ACL as a freshman then the sudden loss of both his father and his beloved high school coach a year later. His strong will to return established him as a leader, and he has become an advocate for mental health and grief counseling. He has established a foundation that has organized a bike drive and a back-to-school event in his hometown of Louisville. Last year, he launched a peer-led, first-of-its-kind grief counseling group on UK’s campus.
The Witten award is given to the player who displays exemplary leadership as voted by a selected committee. Three finalists will be named on December 16th, and the winner will be named on February 12th. Good luck to J.J. Weaver.
