Kentucky’s Trio of Veteran Linebackers Has a Chance to be a Special Group 

Linebacker has been a position of strength throughout the Stoops era. 2023 will be no exception. JJ Weaver, D’Eryk Jackson, and Trevin Wallace will construct a formidable trio that has a chance to be special. Let’s get into it. 

JJ Weaver

Weaver is a 6-foot-5, 245-pound outside linebacker that possesses the propensity to make explosive plays against the run and pass. The Louisville product is also a special young man off the field who frequently visits school children in Fayette and Jefferson Counties. On the field, Weaver is a long, rangy, edge defender that could have entered the 2023 NFL Draft, but opted for another season in Lexington. That was the right call. JJ has played a great deal of football as a Wildcat. He’s seen action in 35 games and boasts 16 starts. The OLB has been extremely active which can be seen by his accumulation of 120 career tackles, including 23.5 for loss, 9.5 QB sacks, 10 QB hurries, forced and recovered 3 fumbles, and intercepted two passes. 

Named as one of three award winners for the 2021 Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year, Weaver overcame a late-season knee injury at Florida to return to the field a season ago. Before that, he is considered one of Vince Marrow’s most significant, in-state recruiting wins out of Louisville. 

Josh Allen paved the way for UK stars to return to Lexington for an additional season in order to improve their trade as well as enhancing their draft stock. Under the tutelage of Brad White, I feel that both will be the case for JJ Weaver. The Cats didn’t record a high number of QB sacks in 2022 (20) or tackles for loss (54). Both numbers need to improve and could do so with Weaver’s influence off the edge and a forceful, organic front three to pave the way. 

Trevin Wallace

I’m on record saying that Trevin Wallace’s high school tape is the most impressive for a UK signee that I’ve ever evaluated during Mark Stoops’ tenure at Kentucky. That ruffled some feathers given that Lynn Bowden lit up the reels as a high schooler in Youngstown, Ohio. I stand by my take. Wallace was a three-way star in South Georgia. He ran over, through, and around would be tacklers as a ball carrier and destroyed offensive skill players as a defender. His tape also showed punt/kick returns for touchdowns and is one that I thoroughly enjoyed watching. I highly suggest that rising prospects study Wallace’s high school tape to see how a player can impact a team in all three phases. 

Wallace started his UK career by being named All-SEC Freshman Team. He scored a touchdown off a blocked field goal in the Cats’ 20-13 victory over Florida. That play significantly impacted the contest’s outcome. Wallace finished 2022 with 54 stops, 5.5 TFLs, 2.5 QB sacks, 1 QB hurry, and a couple interceptions. The 6’2, 240-pound inside linebacker has an opportunity to soar in 2023. I’d stack Wallace against any inside linebacker in recent memory in terms of pure athletic ability. The goal for his positional development is to match athletic prowess with technique which could result in an increase in on-field production. 

D’Eryk Jackson 

Every signing class has a pleasant surprise. D’Eryk Jackson fits that bill. Rated a three-star prospect out of Dublin, Georgia, Jackson played in nine games as a true freshman. He suffered a significant injury in spring practice prior to his sophomore season, but astonishingly returned to the field vs. Vanderbilt on October 28. His rapid return was a testament to his consummate work ethic, toughness, and fortitude. 

2022 was the first year that the interior linebacker played a full season after he participated in all 13 contests, including nine starting assignments. Jackson led the Cats with 67 tackles and 4 TFLs. The 6-foot-1, 241-pound junior is expected to again be Kentucky’s vocal and tackle leader within the front-seven. He’s the thumper of the trio and serves as the defense’s enforcer. 

What Does All This Mean? 

KSR’s Adam Luckett likes to say, “Get old and stay old.” This adage is applicable with this trio of veteran linebackers. The lone senior of the bunch is JJ Weaver who will be joined by a couple juniors in Trevin Wallace and D’Eryk Jackson. Weaver will be counted on to captain Brad White’s defense and rush the quarterback from the edge. Wallace excels against vs. the pass while Jackson will serve as the primary run stopper. 

All three are experienced, proven defenders that have a chance to be one of Kentucky’s top collection of linebackers during Mark Stoops’ stay in Lexington. By the way, that’s saying a great deal given the linebacker talent that’s gone through Lexington over the past decade. 

It will be difficult for the Kentucky defense to improve statistically from 2022 to 2023. The Cats finished last season ranked second in the SEC in total defense. That number was good enough to be ranked twelfth in the nation. Weaver, Wallace, and Jackson will have a great deal to say about next season’s defensive effort which projects to yet again be one of the best in the league. UK is in a good spot at linebacker.