​The LSU Tigers football season is inching closer, now down to double digits on the countdown clock. Kickoff against the Clemson Tigers is now just 18 days away.This is another unique day, because No. 18 is not a normal number for the Tigers. As everyone knows by now, it is they jersey number handed out each season to a team leader. Someone who embodies everything that the program wants to be. It’s usually a junior or senior who has been around for a while.With the season now just about two and a half weeks away, it appears that LSU will wait until the last second to reveal who will wear the No. 7 and No. 18 jerseys. It should happen soon, but for now there is still time to speculate. There is only one real player who makes sense for the No. 18 jersey this year, though, senior linebacker Whit Weeks. He checks pretty much all of the boxes for the typical recipient. Weeks could have declared for the draft last year, but injuries cost him much of the season. His stock took a hit, and he decided to come back for his senior season to try to compete for a National Championship.The athlete has upside in all three phases on defense. He has east-to-west speed against the run and is solid enough in pass coverage to stay on the field on all downs. He has a great football mind to help process as a middle linebacker, and has the motor/physicality to make the plays.Weeks proved how talented he was in 2024, his last healthy campaign, when he picked up 125 tackles, 10 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, a pick, three passes broken up and two forced fumbles. If LSU is able to get that production out him this year, they could have the best defense in the nation.A Former Player Who Wore No. 18RB Josh Williams (2019-2024)There are obviously a lot of players who could be highlighted from this spot, but Williams is the choice, as he is fighting for a job in the NFL and just had an impressive performance in the preseason for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He worked his way from being a walk-on to a scholarship player and then to being the starter. Now he is in the NFL. A great success story to look back on now, and exactly what this number is all about. Hard work and perseverance.Josh Williams showcases the moves for 6️⃣TBvsNYJ on @nflnetworkStream on @NFLPluspic.twitter.com/s47kOfVjov— NFL (@NFL) August 15, 2026