The LSU Tigers were without star linebacker Whit Weeks in their game against Kentucky on Saturday, and the team missed him badly. Lane Kiffin's Tigers lost 35-34 in overtime, dropping to 4-2 on the season.

In a press conference on Monday, Kiffin shared how the team missed Weeks, who underwent surgery to repair the broken right leg he suffered in LSU's 35-6 win over Texas A&M. He revealed that Weeks still wanted to travel with the team to Kentucky but was advised not to do so as it could negatively impact his recovery. Nevertheless, he tried to make his presence felt another way.

“He texted, he texted every defensive player individually before the game. That's who he is. You don't replace that, you don't replace when things aren't going well in the game, that alpha,” Kiffin said.

Kiffin also admitted he looked up last year how differently the team played with Weeks and without him.

Without Weeks, LSU struggled to contain Kentucky's rushing attack, which picked up 155 yards on 4.8 yards per carry. Running back CJ Baxter led the way for the Wildcats with 123 yards and two touchdowns, including the crucial score in overtime that set up Kenny Minchey's two-point conversion.

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Weeks recorded 24 tackles through the first four games in 2026, but he unfortunately suffered another lower-body injury. In 2025, he played just eight games due to a right ankle injury. And in 2024, he suffered a dislocated left ankle and fractured tibia in a bowl game.

Kiffin and the Weeks-less Tigers will look to bounce back from their defeat to Kentucky as they host No. 16 Mississippi State on October 17.