Football

J.J.Weaver

  • position Outside Linebacker
  • height 6-5
  • Weight 244
  • class Senior
  • Hometown Louisville, Ky.
  • High school Moore Traditional

2024 – Senior
• Announced via social media he will return for his sixth and final season in 2024
• Four-year letter winner
• Has seen action in 48 career games with 29 career starts, including 19 straight
• Has totaled 165 career tackles, including 32.0 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks, 11 quarterback hurries, seven pass breakups, two interceptions, four forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries

2023 – Senior (Team Captain)
• Named one of seven permanent season team captains for the second straight season
• Jason Witten Man of the Year semifinalist
• SEC Community Service Team
• Wuerffel Trophy Watch List
• Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List
• Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List
• Has seen action in 48 career games with 29 career starts, including 19 straight
• Has totaled 165 career tackles, including 32.0 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks, 11 quarterback hurries, seven pass breakups, two interceptions, four forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries
• Totaled 45 tackles in 2023 and ranked tied second for second on the team in TFLs with 8.5 and second in sacks with 7.0
• Led the team with two tackles for loss (-12 yards), both of which were sacks and had five total tackles, including two solo stops, in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl vs. Clemson
• Named co-SEC Defensive Player of the Week and earned the Howard Schnellenberger Award as the Governor’s Cup’s Most Valuable Player for his performance against No. 9 Louisville … Turned the game on its head with game-changing defensive plays on consecutive possessions … Chased down Louisville running back Jawar Jordan from behind late in the third quarter, stripping the football and then recovering his forced fumble, leading to a game-tying field goal … Fell on a fumble caused by teammate D’Eryk Jackson to set up a fourth quarter touchdown by Ray Davis to give the Wildcats their first lead … Totaled eight tackles, two fumble recoveries, one caused fumble and a quarterback sack that also came in the fourth quarter
• Preseason SEC Media Days Third-Team Defense
• Preseason Coaches All-SEC Football Second-Team Defense

2022 – Junior (Team Captain)
• Elected one of seven team captains
• Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List
• Third-Team Preseason All-SEC (Phil Steele)
• Has seen action in 35 career games with 16 career starts
• Has totaled 120 career tackles, including 23.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, 10 quarterback hurries, two interceptions, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries
• Played in 11 games with eight starts in 2022
• Totaled 47 tackles (seventh on the team), 6.0 tackles for loss (second-most on the team), a team-high 3.0 sacks, three quarterback hurries, a team-high three fumble recoveries, a team-high tying two forced fumbles and a blocked kick
• Had five tackles, 1.0 sack, a tackle for loss and a blocked punt in the win over Miami (Ohio) in the season opener
• Led the Wildcats in tackles with a career-high nine stops in the win over Florida
• Recorded one tackle and a TFL before leaving the game with a left elbow injury vs. Youngstown State
• Did not see action vs. Northern Illinois or at Ole Miss with the elbow injury
• Returned vs. South Carolina to chart four tackles, a tackle for loss and fumble recovery
• Had six tackles, including 1.0 tackle for loss, and his second fumble recovery of the season in the win at Missouri
• Totaled a career-high two quarterback hurries vs. Vanderbilt
• Had seven tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss and a pass breakup in the win over Louisville … In the second quarter, he sacked the quarterback, causing a fumble that he recovered and returned to the Louisville six-yard line … Marked his third fumble recovery of the season, returning it for 15 yards that set up Kentucky for its third score and second field goal of the game

2021 – Sophomore
• Named one of the three award winners for the 2021 Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year
• Capital One Orange Bowl Courage Award nominee
• Third-Team All-SEC (Phil Steele)
• Played in 12 games with six starts
• Did not see action vs. Iowa in the Vrbo Citrus Bowl due to Covid protocols
• Totaled 34 tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss (second on the team), a team-high 6.0 sacks, four quarterback hurries, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one pass breakup
• Made at least one TFL in eight of 12 games played
• Had four tackles, including a career-high 2.5 sacks vs. Tennessee
• Made his first career interception in the fourth quarter in the win over No. 10/9 Florida and returned it 20 yards … Also had two tackles, including a shared tackle for loss, and a quarterback hurry
• Had a crucial eight-yard sack on Missouri’s final possession of the game … Also had a three-yard tackle for loss and caused a fumble in the win
• In his first game since returning from a torn ACL, totaled two tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a career-high 1.5 sacks in the season opener vs. ULM

2020 – r-Freshman
• All-SEC Freshman Team (Coaches)
• Suffered a torn ACL in his right knee at Florida (11/28) and missed the final two games of the season
• In nine games, had 33 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks, two quarterback hurries and a pass breakup
• Totaled a career-high tying six tackles in his first collegiate start at Florida
• Earned SEC Freshman of the Week after totaling a career-high six tackles in Kentucky’s 34-7 win at No. 18/17-ranked Tennessee … Made two tackles for loss, totaling -8 yards … Had a three-yard TFL in the third quarter, helping force a punt that preceded a UK touchdown drive on the ensuing possession
• FWAA Freshman All-America Team Watch List

2019 – Freshman
• Redshirt season
• Saw action in three games (Missouri, Vanderbilt and Louisville)
• Had six tackles, two PBUs and a quarterback hurry
• Totaled five tackles, along with a tackle for loss and a QBH in the win over Vanderbilt
• Made his collegiate debut vs. Missouri and totaled a tackle and a PBU

High School
• One of the nation’s best linebacker prospects, ranking as the 213th best player in the nation according to Rivals
• The site also has Weaver as the 14th best player in the class at his position and the fourth-best prospect in the state of Kentucky
• Rated as a four-star prospect by Rivals and 247sports
• Recorded 70 tackles, 10 sacks, three interceptions and a fumble recovery as a senior
• His strong performance helped Moore win 11 games and advance to the quarterfinals of the state championships
• Also played tight end in high school and caught six passes for 102 yards and three touchdowns in 2018
• Was named to the 2018 Lexington Herald-Leader Class of the Commonwealth
• An all-state honoree
• Coached by Carlo Stallings
• Chose Kentucky over Louisville, Miami and Purdue

Personal
• Born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
• Son of Stacey Sherrell and the late Terrance Weaver
• Brothers are Terrance Weaver and Bruce Sherrell
• Born with six fingers on his right hand
• Graduated in December of ’23 with a degree in community leadership and development … Currently working on a second degree in family science with a minor in communication

Community Cats
• Started a foundation called “15 for Freddie” while in high school in 2015 to honor his grandfather, Freddie Weaver … “15 for Freddie” would visit and help feed the homeless
• “15 for Freddie” morphed into “The Perfect Fit” upon his arrive to UK in 2019
• Visited a local elementary school to talk about his polydactyly and emphasize to the kids that being different is okay (2021)
• Organized a football camp for children in his hometown of Louisville (2022)
• Organized an event called “Back to School with J.J.” for which he bought backpacks, school supplies and offered free haircuts for 100 children from Louisville (2022)
• Organized an event called “The Perfect Fit Bike Drive” in Louisville (July 30, 2023) at Iroquois Park … Bought and handed out 111 bicycles for kids and gave a talk to the kids about being a positive impact in their community
• After losing his father to homicide and his beloved high school coach to cancer, J.J. struggled to handle his grief until he sought counseling … He is now an advocate for mental health and counseling … In September of 2023, helped launch a peer-led grief counseling group on UK’s campus, the first of its kind at Kentucky, called “The Perfect Fit Support Group”

J.J. Says
• He chose Kentucky because it felt like home
• One word to describe him on the fi eld is “motor”
• After football, his dream job is to be a football coach
• One sentence to describe Coach Stoops is “he’s a father figure more than a coach”
• The best advice he’s ever received is “just be yourself”

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