As would I, but 9 weeks of training is a little less than I’d like for him to have, so I thought he might need to get right into it.
For the poundages each week I would select them during the warmup. You want to be aggressive, ambitious and realistic. Chose weights (based on how you feel) that will be tough yet allow you to get the reps with good form. You don’t want to crash down to only 3 reps on a week that you should get 5. As you head through the weeks you will have an evolving idea of where you might get to.
More good advice.