Week 3 in college football is already bringing a full-blown availability mess, and the SEC report is the one making the loudest noise.
The biggest surprise is LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt, who showed up on the conference’s newly mandated availability report as doubtful for the Tigers’ top-ten showdown with Ole Miss. LSU says the transfer standout is dealing with a sore throwing shoulder and did not take part in a throwing session this week.
That designation carries real weight. In the SEC, doubtful means only a 25 percent chance of playing, which is why Leavitt’s status has stirred so much conversation.
He finished last week’s win over Louisiana Tech without any visible issue, so the update has caught plenty of attention. Reports say Ole Miss staff are skeptical and believe it could be Lane Kiffin’s gamesmanship ahead of his return to his old school.
If Leavitt can’t go, LSU would turn first to sophomore Landen Clark and possibly freshman Husan Longstreet.
Elsewhere, Oklahoma took one of the hardest hits of the week when it ruled wide receiver Trell Harris out for the foreseeable future. Harris suffered a severe internal abdominal injury after taking a violent hit in the Sooners’ loss at Michigan last weekend.
Florida is watching a key situation at wide receiver, with Eric Singleton listed as a game-time decision because of an ankle issue before Saturday’s trip to Auburn. UCLA will be without Mikey Matthews against Purdue after a leg injury he suffered a week ago.
Minnesota also has a notable name on the report, with tailback Darius Taylor day-to-day because of an undisclosed lower body injury. The Gophers are heavy favorites against Akron, so they may decide to hold him out before conference play starts.
On the defensive and line side, Florida has fifth-year end Emmanuel Oyebadejo listed as questionable with a lower body injury for the Auburn game. Texas A&M is dealing with a depth test up front as defensive end Anto Saka is questionable at 50-50 ahead of Kentucky’s visit.
South Carolina, meanwhile, will be without offensive tackle Josiah Thompson against Mississippi State. The Gamecocks are trying to hold things together in a matchup of SEC insurgent hopefuls, but that absence thins their blocking rotation a bit more than expected.
In Other News...
Florida Gets One Encouraging Sign As Auburn Availability Questions Linger
Florida got a small but useful boost on the availability front this week with starting kicker Patrick Durkin moving onto the probable list for Saturdays game against Auburn. In a matchup where special teams can swing field position and points in tight spots, having the usual kicker trending in the right direction gives Billy Napiers group at least one bit of stability as the SEC schedule starts to settle in.
Elsewhere on the injury report, the status of wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. and defensive end Emmanuel Oyebadejo still bears watching after both were listed questionable with ankle injuries. Auburn has its own list of concerns, with Tai Buster already ruled out and Hunter Herring and Joe Phillips tagged questionable, leaving both teams to sort through a little uncertainty before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Saban Sees Something In Florida Auburn Still Hasn't Matched
Nick Saban chimed in on The Pat McAfee Show with a confident read on Floridas SEC opener against Auburn, and his takeaway centered on the Gators ground game. He pointed to Floridas rushing attack, led by Jadan Baugh, while also suggesting Jon Sumrall walked into a better roster situation than Auburn coach Alex Golesh did. It was the kind of preseason assessment that carries a little extra weight coming from Saban, especially with both teams trying to shape early momentum in conference play.
Auburn does have one recent performance that should keep Florida honest, and Saban made sure to acknowledge it. Byrum Brown gave the Gators plenty to handle in last seasons meeting, so this matchup does not figure to be one-way traffic just because Florida has the more appealing setup on paper. Still, Sabans prediction adds another layer of attention to an opener that already feels like an important marker for where Florida stands under Sumrall. [Read more 🡒]
Former Gator Trey Smack Just Sparked An Interesting Florida Comparison
Trey Smacks move from Florida to Green Bay already made him a familiar name for Gators fans, but his first pro game added a new layer to the conversation. The former Florida kicker was a sixth-round pick by the Packers in the 2026 NFL Draft and beat out the competition for the starting job, then opened his NFL career by drilling all three of his field goal tries, including a 59-yarder, in Week 1.
Back in Gainesville, Florida turned the page at kicker and went with Patrick Durkin, who has been steady through the first two weeks of the 2026 college season. Durkin has not missed on field goals or extra points so far, which has already made the comparison with Smack a little more interesting for a fan base that knows how quickly special teams can swing from concern to confidence. [Read more 🡒]