LSU football coach Brian Kelly talks the return of Whit Weeks and Harold Perkins
Weeks and Perkins both missed the entirety of spring practice after recovering from injuries suffered in 2024. Perkins tore his ACL vs. UCLA in week 4, missing the rest of the year. Weeks injured his ankle vs. Baylor and required surgery.
There were positive reports about the recoveries of both players throughout the offseason, with head coach Brian Kelly and defensive coordinator Blake Baker saying Weeks and Perkins would be ready for the start of fall camp. That was made official on Wednesday.
Kelly was happy to see his impact defenders back on the field.
"Presence is impactful, right? You see them, you feel them, you hear them. And so when somebody's not around in a room, you can kind of feel the temperature change a little bit. The temperature's a little bit different when those two guys are in the room," Kelly said.
For Kelly, it's not just about what Weeks and Perkins can do as playmakers, but the tone they set for the defense.
"People talk about missing somebody. It's hard to replace great players, but it's even harder to replace great leaders. And those guys lead by example and make a huge difference," Kelly said.
Weeks is garnering All-American hype as he enters his junior campaign. He was one of the SEC's most productive linebackers in 2024, ranking No. 2 in the conference in pressures and stops.
Perkins opted to return to LSU for a fourth season. He emerged as a star pass rusher in 2022, but 2023 and 2024 were up and down. LSU looks for Perkins to re-emerge in 2025 as he takes on Baker's STAR role.
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