Two LSU Defenders Named To The Nagurski Trophy Watch List

BATON ROUGE – LSU linebacker Whit Weeks and edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen have been named to the preseason watch list for the Nagurski Trophy, the Football Writers Association of America announced on Tuesday.

Weeks and Umanmielen – both seniors – are among 68 defensive standouts who are candidates for the award that is presented to the national defensive player of the year. Former Tiger Glenn Dorsey won LSU’s only Nagurski Trophy in 2007 when he helped lead the program to the BCS National Championship that season.

Weeks, now in his third season as a starting linebacker for the Tigers, enters his final year at LSU with 205 career tackles, including 16.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. A first-team All-SEC selection as a sophomore in 2024, Weeks has started 22 games during his three years with the Tigers and LSU is 17-5 with him in the starting lineup.

Weeks enters the 2026 season healthy after missing five games a year ago due to an injury. LSU was 6-2 last year with Weeks in the lineup. He capped his junior season with 31 tackles and 3.0 tackles for loss.

Weeks had a breakout year as a sophomore leading the Tigers and finishing No. 2 in the SEC in tackles with 125. He was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week twice in 2024 on his way to earning all-conference honors.

Umanmielen, a transfer from Ole Miss, enters his first year with the Tigers after helping the Rebels to the most successful season in program history with a 13-2 record and a semifinals appearance in the College Football Playoffs.

Umanmielen earned third-team All-SEC honors with the Rebels in 2025 after ranking No. 3 in the league in sacks (8.0) and No. 8 in tackles for loss (13.0). He joins the Tigers with 38 career games to his credit and with 20.0 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks.

(Release via LSU Athletics)

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