As the old cliché goes, it will soon be time to walk the talk.

Given LSU’s recent history with No. 7, however, the announcement itself guarantees nothing.

For almost twenty years now, inside the Tiger football program, the No. 7 has been given to “a playmaker, a relentless competitor with no quit in him. It’s a player that others on the field look at to stem the tide, make a big play, and always leads by example.” Last month, while using Patrick Peterson’s birthday to revisit the history of LSU’s No. 7 jersey, we floated a possibility for Lane Kiffin’s first team.

If LSU wanted to make the choice less about measurables and the eyes and more about what the number is supposed to represent as an every-down game-changer, Whit Weeks and his ferocious intensity in the middle of the field would be an intriguing dark horse.

On Wednesday, Kiffin and LSU removed that “dark horse” designation.

Kiffin awarded No. 7 to Weeks and tight end Trey’Dez Green, placing the jersey on two of LSU’s most recognizable and dynamic players—one on offense and one on defense.

From LSUSports.net:

Weeks, in his third season as a starter for the Tigers, has been one of the most productive linebackers in program history. He earned first-team All-SEC honors in 2024 after ranking No. 2 in the league in tackles with 125. In 32 career games, Weeks has tallied 205 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, and five sacks. A permanent team captain in 2025, Weeks has earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week twice during his career.

Green, one of the nation’s most dynamic pass-catching tight ends, is a preseason All-America entering the 2026 season. In two years, he’s already set the program record for career touchdown receptions by a tight end with 11. Last year, he set the school mark for TD receptions by a tight end with seven.

Green is a natural choice, given that he is a wide receiver in a tight end’s body and will be unleashed on opposing defenses as such.

Weeks represents a different part of the tradition.

While the number has been worn by great Tigers of the past like Bert Jones, Trev Faulk, and Ali Highsmith, Patrick Peterson created the modern No. 7 honor when he passed the jersey to Tyrann Mathieu, his former teammate and close friend. Mathieu said they were trying to begin a tradition, and the young “Honey Badger” immediately established what that tradition could become. The number then went to generational talent Leonard Fournette, a running back built in the mold of the Bo Jacksons and Herschel Walkers of history, the only player after Peterson to don the number for three years. And Fournette, of course, did not disappoint.

Here is the full list of players to wear the honor:

Patrick Peterson (2008-10)
Tyrann Mathieu (2011)
Leonard Fournette (2014-16)
DJ Chark (2017)
Grant Delpit (2019)
Ja’Marr Chase (2020) (did not play)
Derek Stingley Jr. (2021)
Kayshon Boutte (2022)
Will Campbell (2023, 2024) (wore No. 66 in games with a No. 7 patch)
Harold Perkins (2024, 2025)
Whit Weeks (2026)
Trey’Dez Green (2026)

Peterson and Mathieu made the number synonymous with defensive disruption—with the possibility that LSU’s defense could change a game as suddenly as its offense could change the scoreboard.

That connection drove our July suggestion, especially after Weeks’s interview with Mathieu on the latter’s podcast. During that conversation, Weeks said he wanted to bring the “nasty defensive mentality” back to LSU. Mathieu responded that Weeks’s passion, intensity, want-to, and will reminded him of LSU football.

After watching that interview, I knew how apt Weeks would look in No. 7.

We also identified Weeks as a candidate for No. 18 because he skipped the NFL draft, avoided the transfer portal, and remained committed to LSU through another coaching transition. Center Braelin Moore received that honor Tuesday, leaving Weeks available to inherit the number tied more directly to Peterson, Mathieu, and the playmaking expectations they created.

Hopefully, Weeks will be “taking what he wants” on Saturdays too.

Our July article concluded that LSU’s next No. 7 couldn’t be just another summer announcement. If that was all the tradition had become, perhaps it would be better left to fade away. There have been hits and misses among those who have worn it since 2008. If the number is to remain meaningful, it needs a blockbuster season from the men wearing it.

This season, No. 7 will be visible on both sides of the field. Green is charged with making LSU’s offense more dangerous. Weeks is charged with helping make its defense feared again.

Both players now shoulder the standard. The time to walk the talk begins September 5 against Clemson.

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