Ole Miss is not buying the doubtful tag next to LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt.
The Rebels’ coaching staff is skeptical about the sincerity of Leavitt’s designation after LSU listed him as doubtful on Wednesday’s SEC injury report, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Ole Miss also does not believe the quarterback is locked into sitting out Saturday’s trip to Oxford, Thamel added.
The SEC’s availability report labels a doubtful player as “unlikely to play,” with a “25% chance” of being available. The conference also bars any gamesmanship “intended to hide a student-athlete's true participation status for competitive or strategic reasons,” and commissioner Greg Sankey can hit programs with fines of up to $100,000 for inaccurate or late injury report submissions.
Leavitt has been dealing with soreness in his throwing shoulder, according to sources told On3’s Pete Nakos, and he was limited in practice earlier this week. But Locked on LSU’s Matt Moscona reported that Leavitt did take part in Thursday’s practice.
The 21-year-old quarterback played deep into LSU’s 45-14 win over Louisiana Tech last Saturday, staying in until the Tigers were ahead by 24 with fewer than nine minutes left. After the game, he did not say he was hurt when he spoke with reporters, and Kiffin did not bring up any banged-up status for his quarterback at Monday’s news conference.
If Leavitt can’t go, Landen Clark is next in line. The Elon transfer has already dressed for both games this season and has completed 7 of 10 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. He also went 6-5 for Phoenix in 2025, throwing for 2,321 yards, 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions while completing 56% of his passes.
Leavitt’s season has already shown both sides of his game. He was excellent in LSU’s opening win over Clemson, then followed it up with a turnover-filled outing against Louisiana Tech, throwing three interceptions while completing 25 of 38 passes. Even so, he still produced 366 total yards and scored three rushing touchdowns.
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The quarterback battle also looms over the matchup, with Floridas Aaron Philo and Auburns Byrum Brown both central to how this game could swing late. Navarros prediction leans toward Brown guiding a late game-winning drive, a scenario that would leave Florida with a frustrating close loss and plenty to sort through afterward. For Gators fans, the sting is not just the upset call itself, but the sense that this one could hinge on the kind of late-game execution that has no margin for error. [Read more 🡒]