Danny Kanell isn’t backing off his read on Sam Leavitt.
The CBS Sports analyst had already flagged the LSU quarterback before Week 3’s showdown with Ole Miss, saying Leavitt looked “up and down” entering the matchup. After Saturday night, Kanell’s concern only got louder. Leavitt finished the loss 16-for-27 for 158 yards, with 1 touchdown and 1 interception, averaging 5.9 yards per attempt.
On Sunday, Kanell said he still wants to study the full film, but his early takeaway was blunt: Leavitt left too many easy throws on the table and cost LSU points.
Here’s Kanell’s post:
Sam Leavitt was big concern for me this season for LSU. It's why I picked Ole Miss last night. I'm going to watch the film later today but he left A LOT of points out there that were relatively easy throws https://t.co/4Ph68KYucJ
- Danny Kanell (@dannykanell) September 20, 2026
That’s the tension with Leavitt right now. He can create when plays break down, and he showed that again against Ole Miss with 63 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. But the other side of that coin is the one LSU can’t keep living with: he’s quick to take off after his first read, and against quality SEC defenses, that doesn’t consistently cut it.
The bigger issue is the ball security. Leavitt has turned it over at least once in all 3 of his first games as a Tiger, and he’s already at 5 interceptions heading into next week’s game against Texas A&M in Baton Rouge.
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