LSU linebacker West Weeks (33) returns to the locker room as students and fans rush the field following the Tigers' 45-20 win over the Rebels, Saturday, October 22, 2022, on the campus of LSU in Baton Rouge, La.
During their childhood, West Weeks and Whit Weeks did not get along. Wrestling matches broke out on a regular basis. Video games turned into fights. Unloading the dishwasher was a race while their mom held her breath, hoping nothing broke. They were born 2 years apart, and in Whit's words, they "hated each other."
One year for Christmas, their parents tried to turn the altercations into something fun. David and Erin Weeks decided boxing gloves might channel the competitiveness of two future LSU linebackers. The boys, around 5 and 3 years old at the time, came downstairs in matching bear-themed pajamas. Gloves waited underneath the tree.
"The catch was that Santa brought dad a pair of boxing gloves," their father said.
The boys were allowed to box after dinner. They could not hit below the waist or bite. They were not supposed to use the gloves unsupervised, but they snuck off when friends came over. When they played with dad, whoever tried the hardest fought him next. David alternated winners. He blocked their punches and occasionally returned a jab from his knees.
"When we finally got the boxing gloves, it was on," West said. "The whole house turned into a boxing ring after that."
Their dad delivered one of those light jabs once, and West got so mad that he started "throwing haymakers." David laughed. It always upset West that he could never land a punch on his dad. He ran to his room and did push-ups with his younger brother alongside him. He thought he needed to "get big and strong" to beat his dad. At that age, he figured push-ups were the best way.
This upbringing molded two major college linebackers and likely a third. Whit, a sophomore, has become a budding star who leads the No. 8 Tigers with 59 tackles before they play 6:00 p.m. Saturday at Arkansas. West, a senior, might redshirt because an ankle sprain has limited him to three games. Their younger brother, Zach, is a high school junior with offers from LSU and others.
The brothers have some similar qualities. Their accents sound like the Georgia country. Sometimes, they look at each other and start laughing at an inside joke. But mostly, they have different personalities. West is the typical older child, serious and structured. Whit briefly had cornrows in his hair as a locker room joke. Senior defensive end Bradyn Swinson called him Jeff Hardy, a WWE champion nicknamed "The Charismatic Enigma" who paints his face.
"He gets West out of his comfort zone," David said, "and West makes sure that Whit stays within his boundaries."
As they matured, the relationship between the brothers evolved. West transferred to LSU after spending his freshman year at Virginia, an important factor in Whit's decision to sign with the Tigers. They consider each other best friends now. In their living room, they hung a picture of the first time they played together as LSU linebackers.
"Not many people get to play college football with your brother," Whit said last year. "It's really the coolest thing we've ever done in our lives."
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Their house is 13 miles from Sanford Stadium, so David and Erin often took their four kids to Georgia games. David played offensive line from 1991-95 -- he was teammates with Georgia coach Kirby Smart and former defensive coordinator Will Muschamp -- and they would attend the lettermen's club tailgate, mingling with former coaches and players. Erin also went to Georgia. They met while working 1996 Olympics events in Athens.
David once described himself as "slow," saying he "survived on guts and determination" as an offensive lineman. He valued hard work, and so did Erin. They raised their children to believe in it, wanting them to trust in what they could accomplish. West thinks one of the similarities with his brother is "we both work really hard at what we do."
"We have very high standards, and Erin and I both believe that if you hold kids accountable, they will not only meet that standard but generally exceed the standard that you set for them," David said. "We're very fortunate that our kids way exceeded the standards that we set for them."
They settled in the country outside Watkinsville, Georgia, and had four children over a 10-year span. Competition filled the house. The kids came back from the woods covered in mud. They played knee football and dodgeball with their dad. Races took place in the front yard, kickball in the backyard. As the oldest, West made up rules and usually won.
"They weren't ever very gentle," Erin said.
The family lost track of the number of broken bones. There have been scratched corneas, damaged toenails and broken growth plates. They created what they called "The Broken Bone Club."
"We just tried to survive," David said.
Sports provided an outlet, and football became the boys' favorite. David coached them growing up. He hoped they would play offensive line, but they inherited their mother's speed. West even played quarterback for a while until he got beat out at Oconee County High by former LSU quarterback Max Johnson.
In 2020, the Weeks brothers played defense together for the first time. Whit began the season backing up his brother as the strongside linebacker. After West suffered a boxer's fracture, he moved to middle linebacker and Whit became a starter. They helped the team reach the state championship game.
"I feel like that was the year where me and him really bonded," West said, "and knew that if we both got a chance to play college football that we wanted to play together."
***
Driving home with his mom in January 2022, West felt exhausted. He had visited Southern Cal first after entering the transfer portal. Once he got back, he and his mom drove eight hours to Virginia, packed his stuff and turned around in one day. He still had official visits scheduled to South Carolina and LSU. He decided to cancel the trip to Baton Rouge.
West entered the transfer portal after Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall resigned at the end of the 2021 season. LSU was the first school to offer him a scholarship. He hesitated to go "because I was kind of dead set that I was going to South Carolina." His dad told him if he wanted to cancel the visit, he needed to call Brian Polian, LSU's recruiting coordinator at the time.
While David grilled hamburgers at home, Polian called. David said he was not going to tell his son where to go, and Polian asked if he could continue to talk to West. David agreed. That night, as West and his mom drove back, Polian convinced him to visit LSU. West made back-to-back visits to LSU and South Carolina, and when he returned, all his mom heard about was the size of Tiger Stadium and Mike the Tiger.
"I came out here, and then I went to South Carolina the next day," West said. "Immediately after that, I knew I wanted to come to LSU."
At one point near the end of the visit, West sat in a car with Polian.
"There's one thing," West said. "You got to offer my brother."
Polian called Whit on the spot and offered him a scholarship.
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A four-star recruit, Whit wanted to end his recruitment before his senior year so he could watch his brother play. He decided between LSU, Ole Miss, Georgia and Oklahoma. Some coaches tried to convince him not to follow his brother, arguing he should create his own path. But they wanted to play together. LSU gave them the chance, but Whit needed to visit.
"I knew I had to go see it for myself first," Whit said. "Because I was like, 'It's a big plus factor," but if I go down there and hate it, I don't want to go."
On his visit, Whit watched a hype video in a small theater. The bass boomed, and he imagined what it would feel like to play in Tiger Stadium. That swayed him. So did devouring a mound of crawfish at coach Brian Kelly's house. His mom said he "ate so many, it was almost embarrassing." Having been through recruiting before, his brother advised him to trust his gut.
"He was able to guide me and be like, 'Dude, everybody's lying to you. Go where you want to go. None of it's true. The first instinct you get, go there,'" Whit said. "That's what I had at LSU, so that's why I'm here."
***
After Whit played a game his senior year of high school, the whole family began a roughly 590-mile drive to Baton Rouge. Whit's commitment that summer allowed them to go to every LSU game during West's first season. In early October, they rented a van and took turns driving through the night. They arrived at 8 a.m. in Baton Rouge, three hours before kickoff against Tennessee. David and Erin have not missed a game.
Over the past two years, Whit has turned into one of LSU's best players. He's athletic, instinctive and filled with an infectious joy because he loves "playing the sport more than anything I've ever done in my life." Since the start of preseason camp, Kelly said, Whit has learned to fit his assigned gap instead of trying to make a play that could create open space. He leads the SEC in tackles after recording 18 against Ole Miss.
"His energy is just so contagious," Swinson said. "It feeds into the whole defense."
Still not fully healed, West may not play the rest of the season. LSU's coaches came to him during the open date, David said, and discussed the possibility of redshirting in order for him to return in 2025. West has continued to practice, trying to stay ready in case the team needs him.
If the starters remain healthy, he likely would play one more regular season game. His return would give LSU an experienced option after three-year starter Greg Penn exhausts his eligibility and if junior Harold Perkins declares for the NFL draft. And the brothers would have another year together.
"I'm just trying to do everything in my power that I can to get back right now and help our team win in whatever ways I can," West said. "If this is the last year, then I'm gonna make the best of it. But if that's not God's plan, then it will be a blessing in disguise if I have another year here."
After West suffered his sprained ankle against Nicholls, he entered the medical tent on LSU's sideline. His mom was worried. He felt flustered and angry. In that moment, it helped to have his brother on the team. Whit checked on him, calming down his older brother.
When he left the tent, Whit looked into the stands, trying to find his parents. He shaded his eyes against the lights as he scanned the seats. He found them and gave them a thumbs up, letting them know everything was all right.
"They are far from home," Erin said, "but we get a lot of peace from knowing they have each other."