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Senior J.J. Weaver has been a productive linebacker for Kentucky when he’s been healthy.
He added weight/muscle in the offseason after he decided to return to UK rather than put his name into the NFL Draft and many thought he would make a big jump in productivity.
Instead, it has been inside linebacker Trevin Wallace who has been the defensive star/playmaker in the first two games going into Saturday night’s game against Akron.
Weaver has been good. He has six solo tackles, three assists, two tackles for loss, one quarterback sack and one pass breakup. Those are not bad numbers. They just are not the numbers Weaver predicted he would have or others believed he would have.
“I am shocked in some ways about Weaver,” said former UK all-SEC defensive back Van Hiles. “Maybe Wallace getting pressure on the quarterback up the middle is because teams are paying attending to waver but I am still surprised he has not had more success.
“I expected him to be a little more dominant this year than he has been. I am really not sure he has been double teamed that much. Maybe the weight has been an issue. I just know I was expecting more. Maybe not a big number sacks-wise but I expected him to just flash on (game) tape and he’s not done that.”
Hiles didn’t think Weaver would duplicate the year Josh Allen had in 2018 when he was the national defensive player of the year. But he did think he would be closer to Allen’s productivity than he has been.
“I have not reached that point yet where I have lost confidence in him. Temper the negativity. It’s game two. Things will get better,” Hiles said. “We have all got to pump the brakes a little bit but he’s not done yet what I thought he would do. He has played solid, but not great and Kentucky needs him to be great.”
