INDIANAPOLIS — West Weeks felt the enormity of it all Friday.
When he pulled on a Colts jersey and stepped onto the practice field for the team’s rookie minicamp, the undrafted free agent from LSU became the first member of his family to play in the NFL, something of a feat considering that his father, David, was a three-year starter on the offensive line for Georgia.
But Weeks knows he won’t be the last. When he left LSU for the NFL, he left his two brothers, Whit and Zach, behind at LSU, already well on their way to their own NFL shots in the next couple of years.
Weeks, the oldest of the three boys, is the first, and like his college career at LSU, he’s hoping to pave the way for his brothers by beating the odds.
“We have such a close-knit family,” Weeks said. “It’s cool to be the first one to do it, and lead the path for those guys to come behind me.”
Weeks has always cut a path ahead of his brothers.
Blessed with their father’s size and the speed of their mother, Erin, a soccer player in high school, the Weeks trio played just about every sport growing up in Watkinsville, Ga., but all three were always headed for life as linebackers.
Weeks has walked the most difficult road. A three-star prospect who began his college career in 2021, the oldest Weeks went through the difficulty of being recruited in the uncertainty of COVID-19, eventually signing with Virginia because of his relationship with Bronco Mendenhall’s staff.
Weeks played immediately at Virginia, making 31 tackles as a freshman.
But Mendenhall was fired, creating a natural opening for Weeks to try to get back to his original goal in college football.
“In the back of my mind, I always wanted to play SEC ball,” Weeks said.
Weeks found a home at LSU, signing with the Tigers two days after the program offered his four-star younger brother, Whit, a scholarship. While Whit was still going through the recruiting process as a coveted linebacker prospect, Weeks recruited him hard, even though he knew he’d have to fight for his own chances at LSU.
He didn’t get a whole lot of playing time on defense in his first three seasons at LSU. Weeks had to prove himself to get on the field, battling for a spot by excelling in the kicking game.
“I knew that my path to the field was going to be through special teams, doing whatever I could to help the team,” Weeks said.
Weeks didn’t have to stay, even with Whit on his way after committing to the Tigers, then Zach following in his footsteps
In the age of the transfer portal, Weeks could have looked for an easier starting job elsewhere.
He stuck it out, and in 2025, Weeks was finally rewarded. He earned the starting job — along with Whit — at linebacker, then made 84 tackles, eight for loss. LSU even put Zach into the Western Kentucky game next to his brothers, making them the first trio of brothers to ever play together for the Tigers.
“It was crazy,” Weeks said. “Not a lot of people get to experience playing college football but playing alongside your brother, that’s definitely something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
By sticking it out, Weeks had gotten everything he hoped to find at LSU.
He also earned himself an NFL shot.
Weeks, who is listed at 6-2 and 230 pounds, ran the 40-yard dash in a blistering 4.5 seconds, showing he has the athleticism to make an impact at the NFL.
But he’s going to have to prove himself all over again.
“I knew if I got picked up, it was going to be late,” Weeks said. “You can’t really have expectations of anything, you’ve just got to be able to roll with the cards you’re dealt. Ultimately, the Colts were showing a lot of interest, and that’s what ultimately led to me making the decision.”
An Indianapolis team in dire need of linebackers did plenty of homework on Weeks. Colts general manager Chris Ballard believed the draft was deep at linebacker from top to bottom, and he planned all along to pick up multiple linebackers in the draft.
Indianapolis drafted Georgia linebacker CJ Allen in the second round, then picked up Oregon’s Bryce Boettcher in the fourth.
Those two picks didn’t faze Weeks, who had taken a top-30 visit to Indianapolis and built a relationship with Colts linebackers coach James Bettcher. When Indianapolis was willing to guarantee $284,500 of his contract — a high number for a free agent — Weeks jumped at the opportunity.
He knows he’s still going to have a chance. Not only did Indianapolis move on from starting linebackers Zaire Franklin (traded to Green Bay) and Germaine Pratt (who remains unsigned in free agency), the Colts also lost Segun Olubi in free agency to the Raiders and haven’t brought back veteran linebacker Buddy Johnson.
Olubi played 362 snaps for the Colts on special teams last season; Johnson played 204.
The same path that Weeks charted to a starting spot at LSU is available in the NFL.
“Being an undrafted guy, I know that’s what it’s going to be for me, the special-teams route,” Weeks said. “I want to go in and do everything I can to be on those teams.”
If he can make the 53-man roster for Indianapolis this fall, he’ll be the first in his family to play in an NFL game.
His brothers likely won’t be far behind.
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts undrafted LB West Weeks wants to lead way to NFL for his two brothers
Reporting by Joel A. Erickson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
