Star LSU Tigers LB Whit Weeks Named Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Among all the star players added to the LSU Tigers this past offseason, fans are maybe most excited for the return of star linebacker Whit Weeks, who is expected to be one of the nation's best linebackers this year.

The team announced on Friday that Weeks had been placed on the Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List. The Lott Trophy is awarded each year to a top defensive player who also embodies the IMPACT acronym: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community, and Tenacity. It is named after famed USC Trojans safety Ronnie Lott.

Here are some recent winners of the award:

2025: Ohio State S Caleb Downs
2024: Colorado CB Travis Hunter
2023: Michigan LB Junior Colson
2022: Alabama LB Will Anderson Jr.
2021: Michigan DE Aidan Hutchinson
2020: Northwestern LB Paddy Fisher

This would be a major honor for Weeks. Those are some of the best defensive players in recent memory, so just being in that same conversation is a positive sign of what to expect from the linebacker this season.

Weeks will be hoping for a huge bounce back this season if he hopes to contend for the Lott Trophy. Injuries derailed his year and he never really had the chance to put on as big of a campaign has he did in 2024.

As a sophomore, Weeks led the team with 125 tackles, had 10 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, an interception and two forced fumbles. As a junior in 2025, he had just 31 tackles and zero forced turnovers.

The 21-year-old, if healthy, should certainly be able to top or at least match that 2024 production. If he does that, then Blake Baker's defense could be even better than it was last season.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos