LSU’s Sam Leavitt wasted no time making his mark in purple and gold, and the Heisman market noticed.
The redshirt junior quarterback, who arrived from Arizona State, opened the 2026 season tied for 10th-best odds to win the trophy. After Week 1, he’s climbed to +1600, a 400-point jump from his preseason number and good for ninth overall in the race.
Leavitt’s debut against Clemson was the kind of performance that turns heads in a hurry. He went 16-of-28 for 230 yards, threw one touchdown and one interception, and then did his loudest damage on the ground. He led LSU with 113 rushing yards and two scores on 12 carries.
After LSU’s 51-10 win over Clemson, Lane Kiffin pointed to Leavitt’s ability to improvise as a major asset.
"It's great when your quarterback can move around," Kiffin said following LSU's 51-10 win over Clemson. "The game is played out of rhythm a lot. The game is not in rhythm all the time as a quarterback and one of the biggest things as a quarterback is how do you play when it's out of rhythm because you don't block everybody right and the receiver gets covered.
"Sam plays really well - and if you look at his analytics - he's played really well out of rhythm when he gets outside of the pocket and moving around. He showed that (Saturday)."
At 6-foot-2 and 207 pounds, Leavitt now sits seventh among quarterbacks in the Heisman odds. The next few weeks could give him another chance to keep rising, starting with LSU’s Week 2 matchup against Louisiana Tech. The Tigers are heavy 34.5-point favorites for that one.
He’ll also be watching the national picture closely. Texas quarterback Arch Manning and Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin are set to face each other, and the way that game plays out - along with how wide receiver Jeremiah Smith performs - could open the door for Leavitt to keep moving up the board fast.
For now, the early message is clear: one big Saturday was enough to put LSU’s quarterback squarely into the Heisman conversation.
In Other News...
LSUs Ex-Pro Fight Just Ran Into A Bigger Roster Problem
LSUs roster picture got a lot tighter this week after the Tigers added injured players Aidan Anding and Gabriel Reliford to the official list, bringing the program to the NCAA limit of 105. For a team already juggling roster management and outside scrutiny, the move matters because it leaves no immediate room to add former NFL players DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris, even as the program continues sorting through the broader mess.
The situation has also spilled well beyond the depth chart. The SEC has threatened penalties and even a vote to expel LSU over its efforts to bring in the ex-professionals, while legal action involving LSU officials and the conference is still moving forward. Lane Kiffin has publicly backed the idea of signing Wright and Harris, saying he believed both were deserving of fifth seasons, but for now the Tigers are stuck with a roster logjam and no clear answer on what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Just Made A Roster Decision Fans Never Expected Under SEC Pressure
LSUs roster crunch got a lot more complicated after the Tigers added Gabriel Reliford and Aidan Anding to their 105-player roster, a move that quickly closed the door on two former NFL contract signees, DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris. The decision comes in the middle of a broader fight that has put the program in an uncomfortable spotlight, with the SEC taking a hard line on athletes who previously signed professional contracts and LSU pushing back on that interpretation.
The timing matters because this is not just a depth-chart issue, but a conference-level dispute that already escalated into an amended lawsuit threatening LSUs standing in the SEC. For now, the Tigers have chosen to move forward with two non-former professional players instead of opening those spots to Wright and Harris, leaving the bigger question unresolved as the legal and conference pressure continues to build. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Faces Mounting SEC Pressure In Fight That Could Force A Response
LSUs roster decision has turned into a broader SEC headache, with the conference now pressing the school over a move that brought former NFL players back into college football. Tony Clayton, who represents DaeQuan Wright and Zxavaian Harris, publicly took aim at commissioner Greg Sankey after LSU declined to roster his clients and instead added two injured players, a sequence that has only added fuel to an already tangled dispute.
The conference has threatened to expel LSU for violating bylaws that bar former professional players from returning to college, and the matter has spilled into federal court with the SEC, NCAA and LSU all caught in the legal crosscurrents. Lane Kiffin has denied orchestrating the players return, but he has backed them legally, leaving LSU in the middle of a fight that is no longer just about a depth chart and could end up forcing a response from the conference office. [Read more 🡒]