The highly anticipated matchup between No. 7 LSU and No. 8 Ole Miss took an unexpected turn on Wednesday night when the Tigers listed starting quarterback Sam Leavitt as “doubtful” for Saturday’s game.
SEC programs are required to provide availability reports every 24 hours beginning Wednesday evening of in-conference game weeks.
Leavitt, a transfer from Arizona State, has started LSU’s first two games this season. He spoke to reporters after last week’s win over Louisiana Tech without revealing any injury. Tigers coach Lane Kiffin also did not mention an injury to Leavitt in the postgame press conference or his weekly media availability.
Shortly after the injury report was released, multiple reports indicated that Leavitt is dealing with shoulder soreness. Per SEC availability guidelines, a player listed as doubtful is defined as “ unlikely to play/25% chance to play.”
Leavitt’s appearance on the availability report has sparked public skepticism given the circumstances surrounding Saturday’s game, which will mark Kiffin’s return to Oxford less than a year after leaving Ole Miss for LSU. On Wednesday, ESPN reported that no one on the Rebels staff believes that Leavitt will actually miss the game.
Kiffin’s past dealings have also played a part in the skepticism. The SEC launched its mandatory student-athlete availability reporting policy ahead of the 2024 season. Kiffin listed more than 20 players on injury reports multiple times that fall, including 26 players on the initial report for a matchup against No. 2 Georgia on Nov. 9: three out, five doubtful, six questionable and 12 probable.
The list shrank dramatically as the week progressed with only six players on the final list, released 90 minutes prior to kickoff. One player, wide receiver Jordan Watkins, was listed as doubtful on the initial list and went on to play and catch four passes for 68 yards in a 28-10 win.
Last season, Kiffin came under fire for how he handled the availability of quarterback Austin Simmons ahead of last season’s 41-35 win over Arkansas. Simmons was Ole Miss’s starting quarterback in the team’s first two games of the season, but was injured in Week 2 against Kentucky.
Simmons was listed as probable on the initial Wednesday report and was declared available on the Thursday prior to the Arkansas game, but played sparingly. He only played four snaps in the first half, including a touchdown pass. Backup quarterback Trinidad Chambliss started the game and remained the Rebels’ starting quarterback for the rest of the season.
The following week, the SEC sent a memo throughout the league clearing Kiffin of wrongdoing.
“In the situation involving the SEC quarterback last week, he was listed as Probable on the Initial Report and Available on each subsequent Availability Report,” the email from SEC associate commissioner Garth Glissman reads. “He dressed for the game and fully participated in pregame warmups.
“Although for the first time this season he did not start the game, he played four snaps and threw a touchdown pass in the first half of a highly competitive SEC game. Under these specific circumstances, it was not a violation of the Policy to list the quarterback as Available on each Availability Report beginning on Thursday.”
Per SEC guidelines, fines for inaccurate or late reports range from $25,000–$100,000 for football and up to $15,000–$25,000 for basketball and baseball. Whether LSU will face a penalty will be determined by the rest of this week, as three more reports will come out: Thursday night, Friday night, and 90 minutes prior to Saturday night’s kickoff.
Should Leavitt not play, second-year Husan Longstreet, a former five-star recruit in the 2025 recruiting class and third-year Landen Clark, who was Elon’s starting quarterback last season, are available options on LSU’s depth chart.
LSU athletics didn’t respond to a request for comment from Front Office Sports regarding the skepticism surrounding Leavitt’s injury status.
