Tag: West Weeks

LSU vs. Ole Miss Injury Report: 3 Tigers starters have designations ahead of Week 7

The Tigers could be down several receivers for Saturday’s game against Ole Miss.

As LSU prepares to face Ole Miss on Saturday night in Death Valley in a matchup with College Football Playoff implications, it’s getting healthier coming off a bye.

Still, there are several players whose statuses are in question ahead of the Week 7 contest, and three starters were listed on LSU’s injury report on Wednesday night.

Receivers [autotag]Chris Hilton Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]CJ Daniels[/autotag] are listed as questionable. Hilton is yet to make his season debut after suffering an ankle injury in fall camp, while Daniels was banged up during the off week but has practiced.

Freshman running back [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag], who has emerged as the top rusher in the last couple of games, is also listed on the report though he’s probable. Also listed as probable are defensive tackles [autotag]Jay’viar Suggs[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Lee[/autotag].

Receiver [autotag]Kyle Parker[/autotag] is out, meaning that receiver depth could be an issue in this game if Hilton and Daniels also aren’t able to go. Linebacker [autotag]West Weeks[/autotag] is doubtful.

On the Ole Miss side, the Rebels are dealing with quite a few injuries of their own. Starting offensive tackle Jayden Williams is out, while starting defensive end Princely Umanmielen, starting receiver Tre Harris and starting defensive tackle JJ Pegues are all listed as questionable.

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Brian Kelly confirms Harold Perkins Jr. ACL tear, declines to speculate about his future at LSU

Brian Kelly said Harold Perkins Jr. and his family have not made a decision about returning to LSU or entering the draft.

LSU got the 34-17 win over UCLA on Saturday, but it came at a tremendous cost on the defensive side of the ball.

Star linebacker [autotag]Harold Perkins Jr.,[/autotag] a versatile defender capable of rushing off the edge, playing off-ball linebacker and even working into the nickel spot in coverage, tore his ACL and will miss the remainder of his junior season.

Kelly confirmed reports of Perkins’ ACL tear on Monday.

“Certainly an injury we feel terrible about, especially for Harold and the work he has done to put himself in a great position,” Kelly said. “You lose players all the time, you just feel terrible for them individually because of all the work and time they put in. We’ll have somebody else step up like we have this year.”

When it comes to his future in Baton Rouge, there are a lot of questions facing Perkins. He entered the year viewed as a first-round draft pick, though his production through three games had declined a bit from last season.

With the NFL potentially calling, Kelly said Perkins and his family haven’t made any kind of decision in that regard yet. He said the staff isn’t worrying about whether Perkins will be a part of the team in 2025.

“Way too soon for him or his family to have made any kind of declaration whether this is his last game or not,” Kelly said. “I think they are just trying to get a hold of the surgery and the rehab associated with it. He’ll take all that into consideration. And when it’s time to make a decision, he will make a decision. Certainly, he has plenty of time before he has to make that decision.

“It’s been two seasons and four games, so it’s not even three (seasons). I think it’s really too soon for us to get into any of the ‘what happens if this is his last season?’ It’s two seasons of competition and four games, and probably rushing any type of comments relative to whether this was his last season or not, I think we’d have to tap the brakes on that.”

Without Perkins, the Tigers will have to rely on veterans [autotag]Greg Penn III[/autotag] and [autotag]West Weeks[/autotag], as well as [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag], who has impressed so far this season.

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Where does LSU turn with Harold Perkins Jr. sidelined for rest of 2024 season?

With star linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. done for the year, LSU will lose some playmaking ability on defense.

LSU star [autotag]Harold Perkins Jr.[/autotag] left the win over UCLA with a knee injury. LSU head coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] was mum on Perkins after the game, saying tests were needed, but Perkins was “injured.”

On Sunday, LSU’s worst fears came to fruition. Perkins is done for the year with a torn ACL according to 247Sports and other reports.

The loss is a blow to an LSU defense that needs all the help it can get. Perkins was second-team All-SEC in 2023 and preseason All-SEC in 2024 — that’s star power LSU doesn’t have elsewhere on the unit.

With Perkins sidelined, where does LSU go from here?

Without Perkins, LSU is losing a player with game-breaking ability. Dating back to 2022, we’ve seen Perkins take over games and make plays LSU needed to win the game. Even when consistency was a problem for the unit, Perkins had a way of showing up.

Think back to the Alabama game in 2022. LSU struggled to contain Bryce Young in the second half, but Perkins applied seven pressures and a sack — just enough havoc for LSU to secure the upset.

In the Missouri game last year. Mizzou marched up and down the field on LSU, but a Perkins’ interception swung momentum in the second half and gave [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] a chance to lead LSU to a shootout win.

As for 2024, we can debate Perkins’ impact.

According to PFF, he ranks 46th out of 55 qualified SEC linebackers in defensive grade. In four games, he didn’t record a sack and missed six tackles. LSU still lacked a concrete plan for Perkins, playing him at weakside linebacker to begin the year and bumping him to the strongside in week three.

But despite the lack of production, the talent remained undeniable and the flash plays were still there. Perkins came up with some big pressures against South Carolina and even when he isn’t hitting home, offenses have to circle him. Taking that threat off the field will have an impact on this defense.

The good news for LSU is this. [autotag]Bradyn Swinson[/autotag] has emerged as one of the best pass rushers in the SEC, and linebacker [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag] is showing he knows how to get after the passer, too.

Still, there’s not a player on this roster with the same all-around ability that Perkins has. Whether it’s a sack, a tackle for loss, or a pick, Perkins impacts every phase of the game when he’s on.

For an LSU defense that relies more on creating havoc than down-to-down efficiency, that matters. With Perkins out, the ceiling of this unit is no doubt lower.

LSU went to a 4-3 look in recent weeks in the hope of getting its three best linebackers on the field. A reversion back to the classic 4-2-5 may be in the fold now.

If LSU does opt to play with three linebackers, expect [autotag]West Weeks[/autotag] to see more time. Weeks is a veteran, but he doesn’t offer the same upside as Perkins.

That’s what LSU’s going to miss. When everything else goes wrong, Perkins’ special ability could mitigate the issues. LSU will have to find havoc elsewhere now.

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LSU vs. UCLA: Tigers Week 4 injury report ahead of SEC vs. Big Ten showdown

The Tigers are getting back closer to full health as they return home to host the Bruins on Saturday.

After overcoming a three-score deficit to avoid an upset on the road against South Carolina, LSU returns home for what looks like it should be a much easier test against a rebuilding UCLA program coming off a 42-13 home loss to Indiana.

To make matters even better for the Tigers this week, their injury report is dwindling as the team gets back closer to full health. Coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] updated the status of several players on Thursday ahead of the game, including starting wide receiver [autotag]Chris Hilton Jr.[/autotag], who has missed the first three games with a bone bruise.

Hilton is listed as probable and is expected to make his season debut against the Bruins on Saturday. Elsewhere, defensive tackle [autotag]Jalen Lee[/autotag] is out with a shoulder injury, while linebacker [autotag]West Weeks[/autotag] was listed as questionable, with Kelly calling him a “gameday decision.”

The Tigers take on the Bruins at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday.

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Multiple LSU starters out for Saturday’s game at South Carolina in Week 3

The Tigers are a bit banged up heading into their SEC opener on Saturday.

LSU will begin SEC play on Saturday in Columbia against South Carolina, and it will be a bit shorthanded.

According to the Tigers’ pregame availability report, starting receiver [autotag]Chris Hilton Jr.[/autotag] and starting safety [autotag]Jordan Allen[/autotag] are out for Saturday’s game. For Hilton, it will mark his third straight missed game to begin the season.

[autotag]Kyle Parker[/autotag] wasn’t listed on the availability report and will likely make the start in Hilton’s place after missing last week’s game. Without Allen, the Tigers will likely turn to [autotag]Sage Ryan[/autotag], who moved back to safety this week, to fill in.

Edge rusher [autotag]Da’Shawn Womack[/autotag] is also out, while [autotag]Zy Alexander[/autotag] was listed as probable and [autotag]West Weeks[/autotag] remains questionable.

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LSU begins SEC play against the Gamecocks on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT.

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LSU vs. South Carolina: Week 3 injury report ahead of Tigers’ SEC opener

The Tigers have a pretty lengthy injury list as they hit the road to face South Carolina.

LSU is heading to Columbia, South Carolina, to begin SEC play with an 11 a.m. kickoff against the Gamecocks with College GameDay in town.

It will be the Tigers’ first trip to play South Carolina since 2008, and they could potentially be a bit shorthanded. Thursday’s injury report included quite a few players, including starters [autotag]Chris Hilton Jr.[/autotag] — who missed the first two games with a bone bruise — and [autotag]Jordan Allen[/autotag].

Two defensive players, [autotag]Dashawn Womack[/autotag] and [autotag]West Weeks[/autotag], were also listed on Thursday’s injury report for the first time. [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said Womack was moving around in practice on Thursday and will be a game-time decision.

Here’s the full injury report for LSU entering Week 3 against the Gamecocks.

Injury Report

  • John Emery Jr., RB — Out
  • Princeton Malbrue, DE — Out
  • Kobe Roberts, OL — Out
  • Jake Ibieta, LB — Out
  • CJ Jackson, DE — Out
  • Jacobian Guillory, DT — Out
  • Chris Hilton Jr., WR — Questionable
  • Jordan Allen, S — Questionable
  • Kyle Parker, WR — Questionable
  • Da’Shawn Womack, DE — Questionable
  • West Weeks, LB — Questionable
  • Garrett Dellinger, OL — Probable

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Brian Kelly says an illness going through LSU locker room

The Tigers will need to be 100% healthy if they want to win their first season opener since 2019.

If LSU wants to have a shot at winning another SEC Championship and competing for another national championship, the Tigers must stay healthy. I mean that in more ways than just being the usual football injuries. The players have got to be able to fight off illnesses.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] recently revealed that a few players on the team have been dealing with an illness that has kept them from participating in practice. It is hard enough to deal with any illness, but add to that practices in full pads on what could be a 100-degree day and you have a recipe for disaster.

“So, we’ve had a bug going around, a lower GI bug. Through the o-line. And Emery Jones was affected greatly from it today. You saw he was in and out. He probably shouldn’t have been out there, but you couldn’t keep him from practice. That’s what he was suffering from. We sent him home,” Kelly said, per On3.

“I don’t know how Whit Weeks and West Weeks made it through practice. They had a similar bug. We’ve sprayed the offices. We’ve cleaned them down. But you know, we’re fighting that now with a number of guys.”

The Tigers will need to be 100% healthy if they want to win their first season opener since 2019.

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Where does LSU’s linebacker unit rank entering 2024 season?

LSU doesn’t have many positions on defense where it feels good about its two-deep, but linebacker is one of them.

There aren’t many positions on LSU’s defense where it can feel pretty good about its two-deep, but the linebacker spot is one of them.

The Tigers bring quite a bit of experience to the table despite losing starter [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag] this past offseason. The group is headlined by [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag], a projected first-round pick who began his career playing on the edge but spent 2023 off the ball. He’s expected to play off the ball again this fall, albeit in a more varied role.

Playing alongside Perkins is [autotag]Greg Penn III[/autotag], LSU’s second-leading tackler in 2023 who has as much experience as anyone on the team having started 27 of the last 28 games for the Tigers. Depth-wise, brothers [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag] and [autotag]West Weeks[/autotag] have both shown impressive flashes so far in their careers.

Phil Steele ranked that group inside the top 25 entering the 2024 season, placing it at No. 22. With new defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s background being as a linebackers coach, it’s fair to expect that unit will be a strength this fall.

The Tigers need more production out of Perkins this fall for the unit to live up to the expectations, but the starting duo is solid, and Whit Weeks especially looks poised for a breakout entering his sophomore season.

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BREAKING: Pair of key defensive starters out for LSU against Mississippi State

The Tigers are missing two major contributors on defense for Saturday’s SEC opener.

LSU’s defense will be without two of its most impactful players on Saturday when the Tigers face a new-look Mississippi State offense.

Linebacker [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag], who was listed as doubtful on Thursday but still traveled with the team, didn’t dress and won’t play Saturday. Starting nickel [autotag]Greg Brooks Jr.[/autotag] also won’t play against the Bulldogs for undisclosed reasons.

Mason Taylor reportedly went through warmups and remains a game-time decision.

These are two very tough losses for the Tigers. Both are very experienced players and major contributors on the defensive side of the ball. With Speights out, you’re likely to see a heavy dose of [autotag]Greg Penn III[/autotag], Whit Weeks and [autotag]West Weeks[/autotag].

Without Brooks, [autotag]Sage Ryan[/autotag] is likely to get the start at nickel.

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LSU dealing with injuries to pair of key players ahead of SEC opener at Mississippi State

LSU could be without starters Mason Taylor and Omar Speights on Saturday morning.

LSU is looking to earn a big SEC West road win on Saturday against Mississippi State, but it may be undermanned heading into that game.

Two Tigers starters are dealing with injuries leading up to the game and may not be able to play, coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said Thursday night.

Tight end [autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag], who exited Saturday’s win over Grambling with an ankle sprain, is considered day-to-day. Linebacker [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag], an accomplished transfer from Oregon State, will travel with the team to Starkville but is doubtful to play less than 48 hours before kick, according to Kelly.

Assuming Speights doesn’t play, LSU will turn to [autotag]Greg Penn III[/autotag], [autotag]West Weeks[/autotag] and [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag] to shore up the inside linebacker group. Kelly said that [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag], who began the year playing off the ball but moved back to the edge last week, will remain on the outside.

Taylor, meanwhile, is the only returning player in LSU’s tight end room. He’s a major part of the offense, and without him, the Tigers would have to turn to a largely unproven group that includes JUCO transfer [autotag]Connor Gilbreath[/autotag] and true freshmen [autotag]Mac Markway[/autotag], [autotag]Jackson McGohan[/autotag] and [autotag]Ka’Morreun Pimpton[/autotag].

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