Davhon Keys has been here before, and LSU is counting on that experience now.
With Whit Weeks sidelined by a right leg injury suffered Saturday in LSU’s 35-6 win over Texas A&M, Keys is back in the middle of a linebacker group that suddenly has to absorb another big hit. Weeks is expected to miss an extended stretch, leaving the Tigers to patch together a position that has already taken a beating in an injury-riddled season.
Keys stepped into the same kind of role last year when Weeks’ ankle injury knocked him out for much of his junior season. LSU’s year started to unravel, and Keys played so much that he finished with 88 tackles, tied for the fourth-most in the Southeastern Conference.
“The first thing is, you’re devastated for him because you never like to see anyone get hurt,” Keys said Tuesday. “But then you’ve got to flip that mindset. You’ve got to go in to play for him.”
That’s the job now, and it comes at a time when LSU is already short-handed. The Tigers have also been dealing with injuries to tight end Trey’Dez Green, starting safety Dashawn Spears and others.
Weeks’ absence matters beyond the stat sheet. Lane Kiffin pointed to the difference in LSU’s points per game when Weeks played last season versus when he didn’t, stressing that his value goes well beyond production.
“Look at the points per game when (Weeks) played versus when he didn’t last year,” LSU coach Lane Kiffin said. “It’s not just because of the player that he is; it’s the mentality and what he brings around him and how he is.”
Still, LSU isn’t empty at linebacker. Keys has already shown he can handle the load. In addition to last season’s tackle total, he logged 15 quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, and he played at least 10 snaps in each of LSU’s first three games before Weeks went down.
Against Texas A&M, he had five tackles and a quarterback pressure. He also made one of the more important plays of the game when Texas A&M went for it on fourth-and-1 with more than eight minutes left in the third quarter. Keys stopped the play and helped force a turnover on downs.
“Davhon played really well last week, which was obviously great to see,” Kiffin said. “Really talked to him about, before he went in, this is a really big opportunity. You’ve got to play really physical.”
The challenge now is making sure the rest of the room rises with him. Tylen Singleton played 10 snaps Saturday, while Zach Weeks and Keylan Moses are also expected to take on larger roles as Keys moves into the starting lineup.
Kiffin liked Singleton’s work against the Aggies, and Keys said he’s seen growth from Singleton, Zach Weeks and Moses since last season.
“They’ve been doing a great job. Even since January, they’ve been improving,” Keys said. “And getting to see them get in (the game), seeing Tylen make that big tackle for loss, seeing Zach get in (and) get his hands dirty, I love seeing it.”
LSU’s depth took another blow when Charles Ross tore his ACL on kickoff coverage Saturday. Ross had been the Tigers’ fourth linebacker on the depth chart, Kiffin said.
“That’s really hard to lose two of your top four or five guys in one game,” Kiffin said. “So there’s not a lot of numbers there. You eventually run out.”
That concern is real. Kiffin said building a deep roster in his first season in Baton Rouge was never fully realistic, which means injuries were always going to hit LSU harder than some of the other teams chasing College Football Playoff spots.
Even so, linebacker was supposed to be one of the stronger spots on the roster entering the season. LSU started with Weeks and TJ Dottery, a two-year starter at Ole Miss before transferring in, as the top two. Keys had started much of last season, Singleton had more than 100 defensive snaps on his résumé, and Zach Weeks had played more than 40 snaps as a freshman a year ago.
Now, LSU needs that group to hold up without another setback. Another injury, especially to Dottery or Keys, would make the situation far more difficult.
Defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s background at linebacker gives LSU some reason to trust the room. Baker coached the position at LSU in his first stint with the program in 2021 before returning to Baton Rouge to take that job again and become the defensive coordinator in 2024.
Baker is no longer coaching linebackers directly - that responsibility now belongs to Chris Kiffin, Lane’s brother - but the position remains a clear priority. If there was one spot on defense Baker would have made sure was buttoned up, it would be linebacker, and he made sure to stock that room with talent.
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