Kentucky football’s top pass rusher turns down NFL Draft to return for 2023 season
Kentucky football’s top pass rusher is returning to Lexington for the 2023 season.
Outside linebacker J.J. Weaver announced Sunday he will return to Kentucky rather than enter the NFL Draft. Weaver had been open about considering jumping to the draft since he participated in senior day festivities prior to the Wildcats’ regular-season finale despite having two years of eligibility remaining.
“Thank you #BBN This what’s best for me!!” Weaver posted on social media with a photo that said “I’m back” and “One last ride.”
A graduate of Moore High School in Louisville, Weaver led Kentucky with three sacks this season despite missing two games with a dislocated elbow. Even after he returned to the field, Weaver was limited by the injury until the season’s final month.
“I think he’s played really well in spurts,” defensive coordinator Brad White said of Weaver in November. “I thought before the injury he was playing at an extremely high level. Obviously, he had to sort of work back into confidence level. … He’s getting the confidence back sort of in that arm.
“Listen, it’s hard to pass rush one-armed. I think people lose sight of that. When you’re not necessarily 100% — but I think every week he gets stronger and stronger and more comfortable with that.”
Weaver arrived at Kentucky as a four-star recruit who hoped to follow in the footsteps of former Wildcat Josh Allen, the 2018 National Defensive Player of the Year and a 2019 first-round draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Injuries have stalled his development, though.
Weaver redshirted in his first season on campus in 2019. Just as he was beginning to cash in on his considerable promise in 2020, Weaver tore the ACL in his right knee in a late-November game at Florida. Weaver returned to the field more quickly than expected in time to play in the 2021 opener, but coaches said he was still less than 100% throughout the season.
Throughout the spring and summer Weaver and UK coaches pointed to 2022 as the year he could finally break out now that he was fully healthy, but in the season’s third game he dislocated his elbow.
Weaver told reporters in November he did not feel back to normal until the Nov. 5 game at Missouri. That week, he totaled six tackles and recovered a fumble. A week later against Vanderbilt, Weaver tallied seven tackles with two quarterback hurries. In the regular season finale against Louisville, Weaver recorded seven tackles with one sack, a forced fumble and fumble recovery.
With Weaver back in the fold, Kentucky can likely focus its remaining transfer portal work on other positions. The Wildcats will super senior lose outside linebacker Jordan Wright, but freshmen Keaten Wade, Tyreese Fearbry and Noah Matthews could be in line for larger roles.
By returning, Weaver has one more chance to follow in Allen’s footsteps.
Allen considered entering the NFL Draft after his junior season, when he was projected as a possible draft selection, but instead decided to return for one more college season. As a senior in 2018, Allen blossomed under White’s coaching to help lead UK to its first 10-win season since 1977 while earning National Defensive Player of the Year honors. After the season, the Jaguars selected Allen with the No. 7 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.