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...
Nick Saban Just Sent LSU A Clemson Warning Fans Will Feel
Nick Sabans memories of LSU still carry a lesson he says every team eventually has to learn: the environment can help, but it cannot do the work for you. Looking back on his early years in Baton Rouge, Saban said his teams sometimes leaned too heavily on the energy inside Tiger Stadium instead of letting their own play set the tone, a reminder that arrived fast after an early-season loss in his first year.
He even put up a sign in the locker room to make the point clear, tying success to what happened on the field rather than what came from the stands. With LSU set for a matchup against Clemson, Saban made it clear he hopes the current Tigers dont fall into the same trap, especially in a game where the atmosphere will matter but execution will matter more. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs Eligibility Fight Just Took A Turn Fans Cant Ignore
A Baton Rouge judges ruling this week gave former collegiate athletes a path to pursue a fifth season of college sports, and LSU is already moving to adjust to the legal reality. The preliminary injunction came in a lawsuit involving the NCAA and Southeastern Conference, and LSU President Wade Rousse acknowledged the decision, saying the university will follow the law while continuing to support its programs.
Lane Kiffin, Verge Ausberry and LSU now find themselves in the middle of a separate SEC lawsuit tied to the broader fight over the injunction, adding another layer to an already messy dispute. For LSU, the issue is no longer just about how one ruling affects eligibility, but how far the conference is willing to go in challenging the school and its people as the legal battle keeps unfolding. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Fans Will Be Watching This Baton Rouge QB Family Showdown
The Louisiana high school season opens with a matchup LSU fans will want to keep an eye on, even if the Tigers are not on the field. Archbishop Rummel visiting University High School brings together two new quarterbacks making their first starts after offseason transfers, and both carry names that already mean something around Baton Rouge football circles.
Knox Kiffin, the three-star quarterback and son of LSU head coach Lane Kiffin, will be on one sideline, while Colton Nussmeier, a four-star Georgia commit and younger brother of NFL quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, will be on the other. For LSU followers, it is a familiar kind of early-season intrigue, with two local family storylines intersecting before the high school calendar even gets rolling. [Read more 🡒]