Sam Leavitt says the foot injury that cut short his last season is no longer an issue as LSU heads into fall camp, and that’s the kind of news Tigers fans have been waiting to hear.
Leavitt, who arrived after a standout run at Arizona State, said he’s been fully cleared for months and isn’t thinking about the injury when he’s on the field. He had dealt with foot discomfort against Baylor in September, played through it the next week, then needed season-ending surgery in October. That same injury also kept him out of spring ball with LSU.
"I've been 100% for the past few months," Leavitt said. "I really don't think about it out on the field at all.
My health is one thing that I take very seriously, whether it's the food I eat, the way I sleep, the way I recover. That's kind of something that I prioritize in my life, I think to kind of an extreme level.
So yeah, I'm ready to go."
The Tigers’ opener against Clemson will mark Leavitt’s first game action since October 25, 2025, but he says there are no limitations now. Lane Kiffin echoed that optimism after watching him in camp.
"Extremely pleased with his week and how he looks," Kiffin said. "Now that he's healthy, he's had a great week. We're really excited about him."
Leavitt enters the season with a lot on his shoulders. He was the highest-rated quarterback in the transfer portal, and LSU is counting on him to help push a revamped roster back into the College Football Playoff conversation. He already showed at Arizona State that he can carry a team and get more out of less.
LSU added plenty of offensive help through the portal, giving Kiffin and Leavitt a better support system. But the biggest piece still has to come from the quarterback himself. LSU has turned quarterbacks like Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels into program legends, and Leavitt now gets the chance to see what he can do in that same spotlight.
For now, the biggest hurdle is gone. Leavitt says he’s healthy, Kiffin likes what he’s seen, and LSU is moving toward a season with real expectations.
In Other News...
Joe Burrow Just Entered LSUs Jayden Daniels Controversy
Joe Burrows name has now been pulled into LSUs latest jersey-number dispute, even if the Bengals quarterback and Tigers alum did not seem eager to make himself part of it. Burrow said he had only become aware of the ongoing NIL and number issue involving Jayden Daniels a few hours before being asked, leaving him to answer a question that had already become one more layer of an increasingly messy conversation around LSU football.
The former Tiger also said LSU once told him his No. 9 jersey would not be reissued, while allowing that such things can change down the road. The backdrop here is the schools handling of jersey numbers, including sophomore DJ Pickett moving to No. 5, the number Daniels previously wore before his legal action against LSU, and it has turned what might have been a simple equipment-room decision into a broader alumni-and-athletics story with no clean resolution yet. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Says Goodbye To The Coach Who Built A Dynasty
Skip Bertman, the man who turned LSU baseball into a national standard, has died at 88. His impact on the program went far beyond trophies, though there were plenty of those: five College World Series titles as head coach, plus a run as athletic director that overlapped with two BCS football championships and helped define an era across LSU athletics.
Bertmans legacy also lives in the players he coached and the bigger place he carved out for LSU on the national stage. A longtime fixture in college sports and a member of multiple halls of fame, he left behind a dynasty in Baton Rouge and a program that still carries the imprint of his influence, even as the school says goodbye to one of its most important figures. [Read more 🡒]
Jayden Daniels And LSU Just Turned This Into A Bigger Fight
Jayden Daniels LSU legacy has taken an uncomfortable turn, with his former No. 5 now worn by DJ Pickett and the school suddenly in the middle of a public dispute it probably did not want. Daniels has long been one of the most visible faces of the programs recent success, so even something as symbolic as a jersey number can carry real weight when it comes to how his time in Baton Rouge is remembered.
The tension escalated after Daniels camp sent LSU a cease-and-desist letter over the use of his name, image and likeness, a move that turned a familiar alumni story into a much messier one. StubHub even jumped into the conversation on social media with a nod to the dispute, underscoring how quickly it has spilled beyond campus. For LSU, the timing is awkward, too, with Daniels recovering from injuries from his 2025 season and reportedly healthy heading into 2026, which only keeps the spotlight on everything surrounding him. [Read more 🡒]