4 minSports
Sam Leavitt Doubtful for LSU-Ole Miss Showdown
LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt was listed as doubtful on the SEC availability report Wednesday night with an upper-body injury, throwing Saturday's game against Ole Miss into uncertainty as Lane Kiffin returns to Oxford.
LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt was listed as doubtful on the SEC's initial availability report Wednesday night with an upper-body injury, throwing Saturday's highly anticipated game against Ole Miss into uncertainty and adding another layer of drama to Lane Kiffin's return to Oxford.
The designation means Leavitt is unlikely to play due to significant concerns, according to the SEC handbook. A questionable designation would have meant he was uncertain to play due to injury or condition. LSU placing him near the bottom of its status monitoring signals the program has real concern he may not suit up.
Leavitt was held to limited participation in Wednesday's practice because of the injury, according to sources. Everything around him had appeared normal earlier in the week after he threw for 366 yards and four touchdowns with three interceptions in a win over Louisiana Tech. During his Monday press conference, Kiffin did not mention any injury Leavitt sustained against Louisiana Tech, though he was not asked about it either.
The timing of the disclosure has amplified tension around a game already carrying enormous stakes. Kiffin is returning to Oxford as LSU's head coach, facing the program he led before his departure. The matchup had already been circled as one of the SEC's most compelling storylines before the availability report injected fresh uncertainty at the sport's most important position.
The SEC and other conferences began issuing availability reports several years ago, with the initial report released three days before a team plays. A second update is scheduled for Thursday, followed by another on Friday. The conference requires a final availability report 90 minutes before kickoff, and teams are fined if they do not adhere to protocol. Schools can also be punished for gamesmanship related to the reports.
Kiffin is scheduled to hold his coaches show in Baton Rouge on Thursday night before the team leaves for the Oxford area on Friday afternoon. That appearance could provide the first real signal about Leavitt's status, though Kiffin has shown little inclination to reveal more than the conference requires.
How seriously Leavitt is injured, and whether the injury will sideline him Saturday, will remain unclear for as long as Kiffin chooses to keep it under wraps. The uncertainty leaves LSU preparing for the possibility of turning to a backup quarterback in one of the season's most hostile environments.
For Ole Miss, the report changes the defensive calculus entirely. Preparing for Leavitt, a quarterback who just produced a four-touchdown performance, is a different task than preparing for an untested replacement. The Rebels now must weigh both possibilities while game-planning for a coach who knows their program intimately.
The drama has been building for weeks around Kiffin's return, and the Leavitt news only intensified it. What began as a coaching storyline has now become a question about whether LSU will have its starting quarterback when it takes the field in Oxford.
Further clarity is expected Thursday night and again Friday as the conference's reporting schedule unfolds. Until then, one of college football's biggest games remains shrouded in uncertainty at the sport's most consequential position.
