LSU's Whit Weeks status unclear as Tigers prepare to host Alabama

Nobody has said yet whether senior linebacker Whit Weeks will play for LSU when No. 10 Alabama comes to Baton Rouge on Nov. 7. That's the most important open personnel question for the Tigers going into the biggest home game left on their schedule.

LSU Tigers Wire, in a story Yahoo Sports also ran, looked at Weeks's availability ahead of Week 10. His 2026 numbers cover only four games: 23 tackles, 2.5 for loss and a pass breakup. LSU has played eight, so the Tigers have spent half the season without one of the most experienced linebackers in the SEC. Coaches picked Weeks for the preseason All-SEC team. He came back for his senior year after an ankle injury ended his 2025 season eight games in.

His track record explains why his status matters. In three full seasons in Baton Rouge, Weeks made 228 tackles, including 19 for loss, plus five sacks and an interception. LSU Tigers Wire also pointed to Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell, who can hurt a defense as a passer and as a runner. Blake Baker's defense would want a linebacker with Weeks's range for that matchup.

What it means for Alabama at LSU

Both teams come in at 6-2, but they've taken different routes to get there. LSU has won two straight. It shut out No. 16 Mississippi State 31-0 at home, then beat Auburn 38-17 on the road. The Tigers' losses were by a combined nine points: 32-24 at No. 8 Ole Miss and 35-34 at Kentucky. Even with Weeks missing half the schedule, the defense has allowed 16 points per game, and it has held three of its eight opponents to single digits.

Alabama's offense has averaged more than 38 points per game, but it slowed down against the best defenses it has seen. The Crimson Tide lost 20-17 at home to No. 2 Georgia, then lost 26-10 at No. 14 Tennessee. They got back on track last week with a 31-20 home win over Texas A&M.

The two teams have played three common opponents, and LSU has the better results in two of them. The Tigers beat Texas A&M 35-6, while Alabama won that game by 11. LSU shut out Mississippi State, and Alabama beat the Bulldogs 56-23 in Starkville. Kentucky goes the other way. Alabama won 45-17 in Lexington, where LSU lost by a point.

Those results point to a game decided by whether Alabama can score consistently against a deep LSU front seven. The Tide managed 27 points in their two games against ranked opponents since mid-season. Russell's ability to run makes the second level of the defense more important, and that's where Weeks plays. If he's cleared, LSU gets back a veteran who has played in this rivalry before. If not, the defense that has carried the Tigers to two straight wins without him will have to do it once more against a much better opponent.

As of LSU Tigers Wire's report, the program had not ruled Weeks in or out. Kickoff is Saturday, Nov. 7, on ABC, and the SEC's availability reports later in the week should settle it.