Tag: Whit Weeks

LSU LB Omar Speights will play vs. Ole Miss, Brian Kelly confirms

Omar Speights will be on a limited workload, but he will make his return on Saturday after missing the last two games.

LSU has been dealing with several key injuries over the last few weeks, but the Tigers are getting closer to full health ahead of a key SEC West game on the road against Ole Miss on Saturday.

One of those players is linebacker [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag], who missed the last two games after suffering an injury in Week 2 against Grambling. Speights was expected to make his return to the field this week, and coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] confirmed Thursday that will be the case.

He will likely be on a limited workload, and it’s unclear if he will get the start. True freshman linebacker [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag], who emerged in Speights’ absence, will likely play a key role, as well.

Speights, an All-Pac-12 transfer from Oregon State, was one of the team’s biggest offseason additions, and his return should elevate an LSU defense that has struggled a bit so far.

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Stock Up, Stock Down: LSU survives against Razorbacks at home

LSU had its hands full with the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday night in Baton Rouge.

LSU had their hands full with the Arkansas Razorbacks tonight in Baton Rouge. LSU was coming off of a big win on the road against Mississippi State last week and the Razorbacks were coming off of a loss to Byu at home last week. Both teams had something to prove and they played like it.

After all was said and done, who played well and who struggled? That’s what we are going to look at in this week’s stock report. [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag] has started for two weeks in a row now and he has been impressive, [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] was outstanding and LSU was able to run the ball against the Hogs.

Here’s how things are trending after the win.

Report: LSU linebacker Omar Speights won’t play Saturday vs. Arkansas

Omar Speights will miss Saturday’s game with a hip flexor, according to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

LSU will be without starting linebacker [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag] for its game against Arkansas in Baton Rouge on Saturday night, according to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Speights missed last week’s game against Mississippi State with what Thamel is calling a hip flexor, and he was listed as doubtful to play against the Razorbacks by coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] earlier this week.

Speights, a First Team All-Pac-12 transfer from Oregon State, made eight tackles while starting at inside linebacker in the season opener against Florida State.

With Speights not expected to suit up, LSU will turn to veteran [autotag]Greg Penn III[/autotag] and true freshman [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag] to hold down the inside linebacker group for the second week in a row.

Even without a key defensive starter, LSU will look to start SEC play 2-0 when it faces Arkansas on Saturday night at 6 p.m. CT.

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Brian Kelly updates injury report leading up to Arkansas game

LSU will likely be getting some key players back this weekend.

As LSU returns home to continue SEC play against Arkansas on Saturday night, the Tigers will hope to be closer to full health than they were in last week’s 41-14 win over Mississippi State.

The Tigers were without three injured starters in that game: tight end [autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag], JACK [autotag]Ovie Oghoufo[/autotag] and linebacker [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag]. [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] updated the injury report Thursday, and it featured some positive news.

Taylor and Oghoufo remain probable as they are expected to return to the field. Unfortunately for LSU, Speights is doubtful and likely to miss his second game in a row. That will open the door for true freshman [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag] to see more action at inside linebacker.

LSU will take on the Razorbacks in a night game at Death Valley on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT.

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Paul Finebaum has a new opinion on LSU after 41-14 win over Mississippi State

Paul Finebaum has some new thoughts on LSU after it destroyed Mississippi State 41-14 in Starkville last Saturday.

Paul Finebaum has some new thoughts on LSU after it destroyed Mississippi State 41-14 in Starkville last Saturday.

[autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] and [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] led the way for the Tiger offense as Daniels finished the day 30-for-34 for 361 yards and two touchdowns. Nabers finished the day with 13 receptions for 239 yards and two touchdowns.

The LSU defense was missing a couple of key starters but they still shut the Bulldogs down. True freshman [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag] stepped up big time and led the team by making eight tackles. [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag] was allowed to do what he does best on third downs, rush the passer. The team looked solid.

“You could just tell that they looked like they had a different mindset. You saw that immediately as that game began,” Finebaum said, per On3. “Now, some of that was really Mississippi State. That program just didn’t look like it knew, really, what hit them.”

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and LSU will look to keep the good times rolling against Arkansas this weekend at home.

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LSU freshman named a standout for Week 3 by On3

Whit Weeks has appeared in all three games this season and has gotten better each week.

After an outstanding performance against Mississippi State on Saturday, [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag] was named a true freshman standout by Charles Power at On3.

Weeks got a lot of playing time at linebacker due to the injury to [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag] that sidelined him. Weeks made the most of that opportunity as he led the team with eight tackles. Weeks was rated as a four-star linebacker in the 2023 recruiting class. He was ranked as the No. 98 player in the country, the No. 8 linebacker in the country and the No. 9 player from Georgia.

Weeks has appeared in all three games this season and has gotten better each week. He made four tackles against Grambling in week two before making eight tackles against Mississippi State this week. With no timeline on how long Speights will be out, head coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] has to be confident with the way his freshman linebacker is playing right now.

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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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2023 LSU Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 33 West Weeks

West Weeks saw a rotational role while playing in all 14 games as a transfer from Virginia last fall.

Going into the 2023 football season, LSU Wire will be looking at each player listed on the Tigers’ roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for Brian Kelly this season.

We’re looking at another member of the linebacker corps in [autotag]West Weeks[/autotag], a junior who transferred in from Virginia last season. Weeks saw a rotational role last fall while appearing in all 14 games, and the LSU legacy will push for more playing time alongside his younger brother, true freshman linebacker [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag].

West Weeks Preseason Player Profile

2023 LSU Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 30 Greg Penn III

After coming on at the end of his true freshman season, Greg Penn III started all 14 games last season.

Going into the 2023 football season, LSU Wire will be looking at each player listed on the Tigers’ roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for Brian Kelly this season.

This is a defense that has been largely remade over the last two seasons, but we’re looking at a returning starter who has been around for both. [autotag]Greg Penn III[/autotag] came on at the end of his true freshman season in 2021, and he became a full-time starter last season.

Greg Penn III Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland

Ht: 6-2

Wt: 235

247Sports Composite Ranking

Four Stars | No. 10 in Maryland | No. 23 Linebacker

Class in 2022: Sophomore

Career Stats

Year G Total Solo TFL Sacks FF PD INT
2021 10 11 5 0 0 0 0 0
2022 14 78 42 6 0 0 3 0

Depth Chart Overview

Penn certainly arrived at LSU as a true freshman with some expectations as a top-250 recruit, but he wasn’t expected to see the field a ton in his first season on the bayou.

In fact, he played in 10 games, though he was mostly a rotational player in all but one of them. He got the start for LSU’s loss to Kansas State in the Texas Bowl, where he notched seven of his 11 total tackles for the season.

His real breakout came as a sophomore in 2022, when he started all 14 games and finished second on the team in tackles. He has a chance to retain that starting job this fall, but it will likely depend on a few factors.

The Tigers added an All-Pac-12 inside linebacker in [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag], and depending on how much work [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag] sees inside, Penn could see more of a rotational role alongside players like brothers [autotag]West Weeks[/autotag] and [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag].

This will certainly be a position battle worth watching in fall camp.

Greg Penn III’s Photo Gallery

Twitter reactions from LSU’s 2023 spring football scrimmage

It was an exciting day in Baton Rouge as the Tigers capped off their spring practice.

LSU ended its spring camp on a high note on Saturday with a public scrimmage in front of the Tigers faithful.

Fans were treated to a couple of impressive highlight plays — namely a one-handed grab from [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag] that led to a 70-yard touchdown as well as a pick-six from true freshman linebacker [autotag]Whit Weeks[/autotag].

Quarterback [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] impressed leading the first-team offense, while backup [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] wasn’t shabby with the second-teamers, either. Both threw two touchdown passes and were very efficient.

There was also a lot of star power on hand for the game with [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag], [autotag]Joe Burrow[/autotag], [autotag]Justin Jefferson[/autotag], [autotag]Marcus Spears[/autotag] and [autotag]Clyde Edwards-Helaire[/autotag] in attendance, to name a few.

Here were the reactions online from LSU alumni, fans and media.