Vote for JJ Weaver to win the Wuerffel Trophy community service award

ZGeogheganKSR

JJ Weaver is one of 22 college student-athletes up for this year’s Allstate Wuerffel Trophy.

Weaver, Kentucky’s sixth-year outside linebacker, was named to the 2024 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team on Tuesday. Which means he’s officially a candidate to win the Wuerffel Trophy, which recognizes the player who shows “exemplary community service”. This year’s Good Works Team started with a record 178 nominees, which was trimmed down to 22 players and one coach from every level of competition.

However, only one of the 11 FBS Division I players elected to the Good Works Team will win this award, which will be announced on December 12 on ESPN during the College Football Awards show. You can vote for Weaver to win by clicking the link here every day until the deadline on November 15.

JJ Weaver has been selected to the Allstate Good Works Team for his commitment to serving others and the community.

He's the seventh Kentucky Wildcat selected to the team in the Mark Stoops era. Stoops was the honorary head coach in 2022.
— Nick Roush (@RoushKSR) September 17, 2024

It’s no shock to see Weaver make this kind of list. Ever since arriving on campus as a freshman in 2019, the Louisville native has found ways to make an impact on his community. Weaver becomes the seventh player in the Mark Stoops era (and 18th in program history — second-most by any SEC school) to make the Good Works Team. Courtney Love is UK’s lone winner of the Wuerffel Trophy in 2017. Stoops was named the honorary head coach in 2022.

Here is what ESPN wrote about Weaver’s community service efforts:

“To honor his grandfather, J.J. Weaver started the 15 for Freddie foundation, which helps feed the homeless. After joining the University of Kentucky, it evolved into The Perfect Fit, which organized community service projects like a bike drive in Louisville, where J.J. distributed 111 bicycles and encouraged kids to make a positive impact. After losing his father and high school coach, J.J. became a mental health advocate, helping to launch a peer-led grief counseling group at UK. His efforts earned him the Ron Butler Character in Adversity Award by the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame.”

Weaver has also been equally impactful on the field for the Wildcats. Now a three-time team captain, he’s been a staple in Brad White’s defense since 2021. So far this season, he’s recorded nine tackles (four solo), two sacks, one quarterback hit, and one forced fumble across three games for a Kentucky defense that is statistically among the best in the country.

2024 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team (FBS)

2024 marks the 20th anniversary of the Wuerffel Trophy, named after College Football Hall of Famer Danny Wuerffel. A starting quarterback for Florida, he helped lead the Gators to four SEC Championships and the 1996 national title. Below are the 11 candidates up for the award.