2024 – Senior*
• Four-year letter winner and two-time team captain
• 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
• Earned the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2024 Ron Butler Character in Adversity Award
• Preseason Third Team All-SEC (Athlon)
• Preseason Fourth Team All-SEC (Phil Steele)

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
• 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, “15 for Freddie,” while he was in high school in 2015 to honor his grandfather, Freddie Weaver … 15 for Freddie visited and helped feed the homeless.
“15 for Freddie” morphed into “The Perfect Fit” upon his arrival to UK in 2019 and has since led several community service projects in Lexington and his hometown community of Louisville.
• Visited a local elementary school to talk about his polydactyly (six fingers on one hand) and emphasize to the kids that being different is ok (2021).
• Organized a football camp for children in his hometown of Louisville (2022).
• His second football camp is planned for June 22 in Louisville (2024).
• Organized an event called “Back to School with J.J.” where he bought backpacks, school supplies and offered free haircuts for 100 children in Louisville (2022).
• Organized an event called “The Perfect Fit Bike Drive” at Iroquois Park in Louisville (2023) … Bought and handed out 111 bicycles for kids and gave a talk to the kids about being a positive impact in their community.
• His second bike drive is planned for Saturday, July 20, 2024 in Lexington.
• 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 … Became an advocate for mental health and counseling … In September of 2023, helped launch an 8-week peer-led grief counseling group on UK’s campus, the first of its kind at UK called “The Perfect Fit Support Group.”
• With J.J.’s help, “The Perfect Fit Support Group” received a $40,000 grant and now will be available to all students on UK’s campus beginning in the fall of 2024.
• Attended the “Supporting Children and Teens Through Loss” event at the Kentucky Center for Grieving Children and Families (2024) … Spoke to the group about going through grief and participated in a drum circle with the children.
• Attended the 2024 Annual Symposium on Children’s Grief in Denver, Colorado June 17-19 hosted by the National Alliance for Children’s Grief … Shared his story and the work he’s doing on UK’s campus.

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”