LSU QB Sam Leavitt listed doubtful for September 21 Ole Miss game; injury unclear

LSU listed starting quarterback Sam Leavitt as doubtful for Saturday's rivalry game at Ole Miss on Wednesday night, marking a surprise designation that caught observers off guard given his status one day earlier. The exact nature of Leavitt's injury remains unspecified, though reports citing 247Sports indicate soreness and spasms. The timing raises questions about the injury's legitimacy and disclosure. Leavitt completed LSU's 45-14 win over Louisiana Tech in Week 2, and spoke to reporters afterward without appearing to be in pain, according to ESPN's reporting. Coach Lane Kiffin made no mention of any injury concerns during his Monday news conference. The SEC's availability report policy defines a doubtful designation as indicating a player is "unlikely to play due to significant concerns" with a "25% chance to play," per ESPN. The league's reporting policy prohibits acts of gamesmanship "intended to hide a student-athlete's true participation status for competitive or strategic reasons" and conduct that could be construed as "misleading." Schools are required to take extra precautions to act in good faith when disclosing the status of high-profile athletes such as starting quarterbacks. Penalties for inaccurate or late reports range from $25,000 to $100,000 for football, and SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey has discretion to administer additional accountability measures as appropriate based on circumstances, according to ESPN. Leavitt was a two-year starter and former Big 12 Freshman of the Year at Arizona State before transferring to LSU. In his LSU debut against Clemson, he accounted for three touchdowns (one passing, two rushing) and no turnovers. He did not practice Thursday following the Wednesday injury, according to CBS Sports. If Leavitt cannot play, LSU's primary backups are Landen Clark, a sophomore, and Husan Longstreet, a freshman. Clark has appeared in two games, completing 7 of 10 passes for 109 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, per ESPN. In the Clemson game, he connected on five of seven pass attempts for 72 yards and a touchdown after entering, according to CBS Sports. At Elon, Clark completed 56.0% of his passes for 2,321 yards, 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions while rushing for 614 yards and 11 touchdowns, per CBS Sports. He was named the 2025 CAA Co-Offensive Rookie of the Year after leading Elon to a 6-6 record and 4-4 conference mark, according to CBS Sports. Longstreet is a former five-star recruit and the No. 4 quarterback in the 2025 signing class who transferred to LSU from USC following his freshman season, per CBS Sports. He has one pass attempt and one completion for 33 yards in an LSU uniform, according to ESPN. 247Sports Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins has projected Longstreet as a potential first-round NFL pick and compared him to former South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler, per CBS Sports. The point spread on the game moved from LSU minus-3 to as low as minus-1 after the injury report was released and had settled back to LSU minus-2.5 as of Thursday morning, according to ESPN.