J.J. Weaver enters the 2020 season with plenty of promise, and in the longer-term he has the ability to make a major mark on the program.

Unfortunately, he'll also be dealing with family tragedy.

Number 13 is Cats Illustrated's Roster Rundown focus today.

Background: Weaver was one of the Commonwealth's top prospects coming out of the 2019 recruiting class. Rivals.com rated Weaver a four-star prospect and the No. 14 player nationally at his position.

Georgia, Miami, Louisville, Oregon, and Tennessee were among the other schools that offered him coming out of high school.

Weaver did not commit until relatively late in the recruiting process, towards the end of November. He was one of Vince Marrow's big early recruiting victories in the city of Louisville as the Cats' recruiting fortunes began to change in Jefferson County recently.

Weaver played in three games as a true freshman but kept his redshirt tag, as did every other player in UK's last class.

2020 Outlook: Football is a bit of an afterthought right now for Weaver, whose father was the tragic victim of a shooting murder recently. Some things are much bigger than sports and it bears mentioning that it's easy to imagine someone's mind would be in another place for quite some time.

On the field, Weaver is expected to take on much more of a load this season. He is the likely No. 2 Jack linebacker behind Jordan Wright. He's a different kind of player than the first-teamer.

Earlier this offseason Brad White told Cats Illustrated that Weaver has already proved to the staff that he can be "that big, physical presence" at Jack. He and K.D. McDaniel have given the staff confidence to move Josh Paschal to the defensive line, assuming that depth will not be an issue.

Expect Weaver to play a substantial amount this season, not only as a backup but in some obvious run situations, too. His snap count could soar as part of a defense that could be among the SEC's best.