LSU’s trip to Oxford already had plenty of attention because of Lane Kiffin’s return to face Ole Miss. Now the Tigers may have to handle it without Sam Leavitt.
The latest SEC availability report lists Leavitt as doubtful for Saturday night’s showdown, putting a major question mark over LSU’s offense heading into one of the weekend’s biggest games. No.
7 LSU is 2-0 and has looked sharp on that side of the ball, but that momentum is about to meet a much stiffer test against No. 8 Ole Miss.
Leavitt is one of 10 LSU players on the injury report, and linebacker Whit Weeks is also included. With the Tigers heading into a game of this size, the timing could hardly be worse.
Leavitt’s last outing came against Louisiana Tech, where the Arizona State transfer had a rough night despite LSU’s 45-14 win. He threw three interceptions in that game, a reminder that the Tigers’ offense has still had some uneven moments even while the results have been comfortable.
Ole Miss, meanwhile, comes in 2-0 after taking down ranked Louisville and Charlotte in its first two games. Trinidad Chambliss and the Rebels have opened the year in strong shape, and now LSU has to walk into Oxford for what looks like its toughest assignment so far in the 2026 season.
If Leavitt can’t go, LSU will need to pivot quickly. Redshirt freshman Husan Longstreet is the next quarterback up, while transfer Landen Clark could also get the call.
Clark came to LSU from Elon and has already played in both games this season. In the Tigers’ Week 1 win over Clemson, he threw for 72 yards and a touchdown.
The stretch ahead is no joke for LSU. The Tigers have ranked opponents in five of their final 10 regular-season games, so every win matters as they try to build a College Football Playoff case.
LSU and Ole Miss kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday on ABC.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Just Got A New Twist In Its LSU Lawsuit Fight
The legal fight between Ole Miss and LSU has picked up another layer, with LSU defensive end Princewell Umanmielen now having been served court papers tied to the lawsuit Ole Miss filed. The case centers on an alleged breach of contract and asks for monetary damages from Umanmielen and another former Ole Miss player, adding an off-field dispute to the already familiar rivalry tension between the schools.
LSU officials were aware of the attempt to serve Umanmielen before it happened, according to the report, and the underlying disagreement appears to stem from revenue sharing issues between Ole Miss and LSU. For Ole Miss, the matter is no longer just about what happened on the roster sheet, but about how the school believes player movement and financial obligations should be handled in a changing college sports landscape. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Fan Just Delivered A Viral Pregame Flex At LSU's Expense
The pregame rivalry between Ole Miss and LSU took a turn far beyond the usual message-board bravado when Joshua Gregory, a commercial pilot from Oxford, used his flight path to spell out a message that landed right in the middle of the trash talk. Flying over Louisiana, Gregory traced out Come to the Sip, turning a simple football jab into something far more elaborate and instantly shareable. It did not take long for the stunt to spread across social media, where it drew plenty of attention from fans and aviation watchers alike.
Brian Trascher, another Louisiana pilot, added another layer to the scene by weighing in on just how difficult the flight path was to pull off. The reaction only amplified the rivalry angle, because this was not just a clever tease before Ole Miss and LSU met on the field. It became the kind of offbeat sports moment that travels well beyond the SEC, with the message itself doing most of the talking and the broader response still giving the stunt extra life. [Read more 🡒]
Brian Kelly Just Added Heat To LSU's Biggest Road Test Yet
LSUs trip to Oxford already had the feel of a stress test, and Brian Kelly only turned up the temperature by weighing in on what awaits the Tigers. Now working as a CBS analyst after his run as LSUs head coach, Kelly pointed to the home-field edge Ole Miss tends to enjoy in SEC games and framed this one as the kind of environment that can tilt a tight matchup. He also nodded to how often these two programs have played close, physical games, which only adds to the sense that this one could come down to how well LSU handles the moment.
From Ole Miss side, that kind of outside perspective is a reminder of what makes this matchup such a tricky one under Lane Kiffin. The Rebels will have the crowd behind them in a rivalry setting, and Kellys comments only underscore how much the atmosphere can matter when LSU comes calling. For a game with so much recent history and so much on the line, the question is not whether Oxford will be lively. It is whether LSU can match it. [Read more 🡒]