LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt has been cleared to participate in the team’s matchup against No. 8 Ole Miss scheduled for Saturday night. The quarterback was removed from the Tigers’ SEC availability report on Friday evening, indicating he is available for competition.
Leavitt’s path to clearance progressed rapidly throughout the week. He was initially listed as doubtful on Wednesday due to an upper body injury but participated in Thursday’s walkthrough and was subsequently upgraded to questionable status that evening. The swift progression from doubtful to full clearance in less than 48 hours has drawn attention around the conference, as players with doubtful designations historically rarely participate in games. According to SEC data, only nine percent of starters listed as doubtful on Wednesday’s initial report played in games during the previous season, with 4 of 46 players seeing action.
The timing of Leavitt’s injury report appearance, combined with head coach Lane Kiffin’s return to his former employer Ole Miss, has raised questions about potential gamesmanship. Leavitt did not appear to sustain an injury during LSU’s Week 2 victory over Louisiana Tech. A source told CBS Sports that Kiffin may have been employing strategic ambiguity regarding the quarterback’s availability.
Leavitt made an impressive debut in Week 1 against Clemson but experienced a more challenging outing the following week, throwing three interceptions during the 45-14 win over Louisiana Tech. Kiffin commented after that game that Leavitt needed to improve ball security and execution in the red zone. The kickoff between LSU and Ole Miss is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday and will be broadcast on ABC with free streaming available on Fubo.
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