While attrition hammered LSU’s roster last winter, linebacker emerged unaffected.
West Weeks exhausted his eligibility. He got to take the field with his two younger brothers against Western Kentucky. Whit, the middle Weeks, had to go out there on a broken ankle to make it happen, but he did. Harold Perkins entered the NFL Draft a year early, but he did play four seasons.
Everyone else is back, and a transfer addition makes this unit one of the most proven groups on the roster.
Blake Baker has moved over to coaching the STAR position, so he’ll work with that group and play a CEO role as Chris Kiffin comes over from Ole Miss to assist his brother by coaching linebackers.
WHO’S BACK: Whit Weeks (Sr.), Davhon Keys (Jr.), Tylen Singleton (Soph), Zach Weeks (RFr), Keylan Moses (RFr), Jaiden Braker (RFr), Charles Ross (RFr)
WHO’S NEW: TJ Dottery (Transfer- Ole Miss), Theo Grace (Fr)
WHAT WE KNOW
This time last year Whit Weeks was a pre-season All-American. Those don’t often stick around for a fourth season in college football, but Weeks made that decision. He worked to return from that nasty ankle injury in the Texas Bowl to be ready for the 2025 season, and it was almost completely marred by injury. He only played in eight games, missing five with a broken ankle. He also missed essentially all of a sixth when he was ejected for targeting against Florida on the first drive. In a seventh, he played a drive with his brothers, not much more. His tackle total dropped from 125 to 31. He’s back, and he’ll anchor the middle of the defense.
TJ Dottery comes over from Ole Miss where he led the SEC in tackles with 98. He started 27 games for the Rebels over two seasons. His season-high in tackles last year came against Miami in the College Football Playoff semifinals. He made 11 stops against the Hurricanes. He’s 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds and worked with the first team all spring.
Davhon Keys actually made more tackles per game than Dottery. He just only got to play 12 of them as Ole Miss advance to 15. Keys tallied 92 tackles as a true sophomore. He’s now got 25 games and nine starts to his name.
Tylen Singleton was often “the next man up” last season. He didn’t play a lot of snaps, but he was called on when injuries cropped up. He appeared on 63 defensive snaps in the regular season but played 84 in the Texas Bowl against Houston where he made nine tackles including a tackle for loss.
The rest of the group is light on experience.
Zach Weeks got out there with his brothers, but beyond those there wasn’t much outside of 19 snaps against Florida when Whit got ejected. Weeks graduated high school a year early to live that dream last year, so he’s still a very young player. You wouldn’t know it looking at him. The youngest Weeks is 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds which is bigger than his All-American brother three years his senior.
Speaking of players with notable brothers, Keylan Moses didn’t follow his older brother Dylan to Tuscaloosa. He stayed home at LSU. He’s 6-foot-2 and 212 pounds, so on the slimmer side for a linebacker. He only appeared in the Texas Bowl last season.
Jaiden Braker entered the transfer portal but was quickly convinced to return to LSU. Braker played in five games with 43 snaps coming on special teams. All of his defensive action came against Southeastern Louisiana. As a recruit, Braker was a consensus four-star prospect out of Georgia that On3 called the No. 8 linebacker in the country. He’s listed at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds.
Charles Ross was also in that loaded linebacker class with Braker, Moses and Weeks. He played a ton of special teams last season, 117 snaps. That should come as no surprise as he was a standout sprinter in the Texas prep ranks. He’s still listed at 6-foot-1 and 218 pounds, so not as physcially imposing as some of the other backers on the roster, but his speed is his differentiator.
HUNT’S TAKE
It’s hard to imagine a position group with a higher floor.
Weeks finished second in the SEC in tackle in 2024. Dottery led the league in 2025, and Keys was second. The starting three have all finished in the top two in tackles, not just in any conference, in SEC play.
I wouldn’t submit that any of the three are projected top 20 NFL Draft picks, but they know how to play downhill and get people on the ground at this level.
Pro Football Focus didn’t grade Dottery very well last year despite his production. And playing 15 games does allow for more of that. He graded a 55.0 overall, 60.2 against the run, 60.5 tackling and 51.6 in pass rush. I don’t think he’ll be asked to do a ton of rushing. Baker loves Weeks in that role, and the STAR position will do some blitzing as well.
Dottery and Keys will be asked to play the run. Weeks will be the leader and likely lead the team in tackles if he can stay healthy. That’s a big ask.
As for the rest of the group, Singleton has Baker’s trust, and I think Zach Weeks and Ross are the two guys up next for this unit. Weeks and Dottery only have one season left. Some development behind them is key. I also think Braker being reeled back in quickly from the portal suggests Baker really likes his upside.
It was never and still isn’t likely that a four-linebacker class (plus CJ Jimcoily who we’ll preview in the STAR edition) stays together for four years. This is year two for that quartet. We’ll see who separates.
That said, this series is about this team, and it’s got four linebackers with real experience including three proven veterans. It’s not the best unit on the team, but it may be the one that offers the fewest concerns.
