OXFORD - The biggest question hanging over LSU’s trip to Ole Miss isn’t just whether the Tigers can win in Lane Kiffin’s return. It’s whether the injury report around quarterback Sam Leavitt is telling the full story.
Leavitt was listed as doubtful on the first Week 3 SEC injury report, but skepticism has already started to swirl around that designation ahead of the Sept. 19 game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. The No.
9 Rebels (2-0) are set to host the No. 7 Tigers (2-0) at 6:30 p.m. on ABC in one of the most anticipated games on the schedule, and Kiffin’s first trip back to Ole Miss as LSU coach only sharpens the attention.
Leavitt is the lone LSU player tagged as doubtful. He has played in LSU’s first two games, but ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported in a social media post on Sept. 17 that, “No one on the Ole Miss staff is convinced LSU QB Sam Leavitt’s appearance as “doubtful” on the injury report is sincere and he’ll miss the game on Saturday," ESPN's Pete Thamel reported in a social media post on Sept. 17.
On3’s Pete Nakos reported the same day that Leavitt is dealing with a sore throwing shoulder and has been limited in practice.
Kiffin, for his part, didn’t bring up any Leavitt injury during his Sept. 14 weekly press conference.
The SEC injury reports for football games are released at 7:10 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with another update before kickoff on Saturdays.
That report has real consequences if the league believes a school has played games with the designation. The SEC says doubtful means a player is “unlikely to play due to significant injury concerns” and should be reserved for someone who is 25% likely to play.
The conference also prohibits misleading conduct on the report, and penalties for inaccurate or late football injury reports can range from a $25,000 fine to $100,000 for the school.
Kiffin’s track record with injury reports at Ole Miss has also drawn notice before. In 2024, the Rebels listed 26 players on their initial injury report ahead of a major game against Georgia. Wide receiver Jordan Watkins opened that week as doubtful and still ended up playing a major role in the game.
Here is how the latest Ole Miss-LSU injury report looks:
Ole Miss
CB Victory Lincoln Jr.: Out
OL Emanuel Faulkner: Out
RB Makhi Frazier: Questionable
OL Tommy Kinsler IV: Questionable
LB Keaton Thomas: Probable
CB Cedrick Beavers: Probable
LSU
WR Phillip Wright III: Out
LB Jaiden Braker: Out
RB Raycine Guillory Jr.: Out
QB Sam Leavitt: Doubtful
LB TJ Dottery: Questionable
LB Tylen Singleton: Questionable
TE Trey'Dez Green: Probable
LB Whit Weeks: Probable
LB Davhon Keys: Probable
OL Aliou Bah: Probable
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