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Promising freshman defender J.J. Weaver reportedly tears ACL

Weaver had been coming on strong in this defense.

Vanderbilt v Kentucky Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Some tough news broke this afternoon for the Kentucky Wildcats football team.

Justin Rowland of Cats Illustrated is reporting that redshirt freshman linebacker J.J. Weaver has torn his ACL, which will end his season and keep him sidelined for much up the upcoming offseason.

Weaver has been one of the bright spots for the team this year which has played well defensively all season. He has shown a lot of promise this season with his length and quickness off the edge. He’s also shown some promise in coverage as the season has gone on as well, though he did struggle covering Florida Gators tight end Kyle Pitts when asked to in Saturday’s 34-10 loss in Gainesville.

Weaver, who played high school football at Moore High School in Louisville, has totaled 33 tackles (21 solo, 12 assisted) and has a half a sack on the season. He also has one pass deflection on the season. All impressive numbers for the second-year player.

This is another tough blow for the team emotionally, especially with all that has happened with Chris Oats and the passing of John Schlarman.

Weaver has suffered his own personal loss after his father was tragically killed over the summer.

Here’s to hoping for a smooth recovery for Weaver and he’s in good spirits in what’s been a very challenging year.