It’s game week in Baton Rouge, and that means the wait is almost over for LSU’s first real spotlight moment of the season: Lane Kiffin’s coaching debut on Saturday night against Clemson in Tiger Stadium.
For Sam Leavitt, though, the build-up is about more than the pageantry. It’s about getting every detail right before he steps into a night game in Death Valley.
“I’m just going to really embrace the moment for a little bit because you know, you’re not going to get many opportunities to play in Tiger Stadium at night on gameday, so it’s going to be special playing with these fans and this crowd in this environment,” Leavitt said Tuesday.
Leavitt’s preparation starts long before he gets anywhere near the field. The work begins the night before, with a routine he treats like the foundation for everything that follows.
“(On Sunday night) I put my phone down at probably 8:00 p.m., put on my blue light glasses, take all my supplements and do my stretching, get ready for bed,” Leavitt said. “I always say that my night before is kind of a direct reflection of my next day, so the things that I’m eating, putting in my body, the way I’m taking care of it the night before is going to directly reflect how I feel physically and mentally the next day.”
Once the week is underway, his focus shifts to the game plan and the details that shape what he’ll see from Clemson’s defense. Leavitt described the process as a constant cycle of studying, reviewing, and narrowing down what works best.
“Coming into the next day, whether it’s Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, first, second down, you’re going into the game plan, understanding exactly what you have to do,” Leavitt said. “And you came back the previous night and went over exactly what coverages you’re going to get, pressures, fronts you’re going to get, everything.
What’s your tells, what’s your indicators, what plays we like versus what? What’s our checks?
You get super dialed in.
“Then you go into the next day and get all sorted out, and then you figure out what plays you like the most, which ones you don’t. They do a great job upstairs just putting me in the best spot, and then I communicate with them: ‘Hey, didn’t love this look.
Absolutely love this play.’ So, it’s really just getting dialed in with them and exactly what plays we love and don’t love, getting timing with the guys and seeing the reps over and over.”
That preparation also comes with a clear effort to keep the week clean mentally. Leavitt said he tries to avoid extra noise, limit distractions and protect his focus as the game gets closer.
“And then coming back, spending time by yourself late at night and getting your body right,” Leavitt said. “And then putting yourself in the best mental state possible and not cluttering your brain up with texting a million people, talking a ton on the phone.
Like, it is difficult because at this point, you kind of have to cut out - not cut out some people completely - but there’s a certain sacrifice you have to make at this point of not communicating with people because you don’t want the extra mental clutter. So I’d say this year, I’ve done the best job at that by far of any year in my life.”
Now he gets the payoff. Saturday night will show how all that routine, film study and discipline translates once the lights come on.
In Other News...
LSU Just Got Pulled Into A Roster Fight With Real Stakes
The SEC has now turned a roster dispute into a legal one, filing suit against LSU, its Board of Supervisors, president Wade Rousse, athletic director Verge Ausberry and head coach Lane Kiffin over the programs pursuit of former professional athletes. At the center of it is a simple but consequential question for the Tigers: whether the conference believes LSU crossed the line by recruiting players who had already signed NFL contracts.
The league is seeking an injunction to keep LSU from associating with conduct it says runs counter to the SECs purpose, adding another layer to a situation already unfolding in Baton Rouge. A separate court hearing is still underway there to determine whether the players in question are eligible under NCAA and SEC rules, leaving the Tigers caught between immediate roster needs and a fight that now has real legal stakes. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Saban Just Sent LSU A Clemson Warning Fans Will Feel
Nick Sabans memories of LSU still come with a useful warning attached. Looking back on his early years in Baton Rouge, he said those teams sometimes leaned too hard on the energy inside Tiger Stadium instead of trusting their own execution, a habit that can be easy to miss when the crowd is rolling and the place is loud. After a loss in his first season, he tried to stamp out that thinking by putting up a reminder in the locker room that the result had to come from the players, not from the people in the stands.
That message feels aimed straight at LSUs opener against Clemson, a stage where home atmosphere can only carry a team so far. Saban said he hopes this version of the Tigers does not make the same mistake, and it is the kind of warning that lands differently when it comes from someone who once had to correct it himself. For LSU, the challenge is simple enough to say and harder to live: bring the crowd with you, but do not depend on it. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Lands In A High Stakes Eligibility Fight Before The Opener
With LSUs opener approaching, the school has landed in the middle of a legal fight that could shape how Lane Kiffin and his staff navigate the roster in the final stretch before kickoff. The SEC filed a federal lawsuit against LSU, Kiffin and other administrators over the eligibility status of several potential Tigers who spent time on NFL training camp rosters, turning a personnel issue into a conference-level dispute.
The league is seeking injunctions to keep LSU from violating conference rules by recruiting and rostering professional athletes, arguing the schools actions damage the SEC. At the same time, a separate state court hearing is moving forward on the eligibility of specific players, including DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris, leaving LSU with one more off-field issue to manage as the season opens. [Read more 🡒]