Days before the team takes on Ole Miss, LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt is dealing with a concerning injury, putting his playing status for the SEC showdown in doubt. Leavitt was unable to practice on Wednesday, September 16, ahead of the LSU-Ole Miss game.
LSU head coach Lane Kiffin may need to have an alternative quarterback plan in preparation for Ole Miss. Leavitt is listed as doubtful in the initial injury report.
“NEW: LSU QB Sam Leavitt did not practice Wednesday due to an undisclosed injury, multiple sources confirm,” Louisiana Sports’ Matt Moscona detailed on September 17, 2026, message on X. “He received treatment and will be reevaluated today.”
“Additionally, LB TJ Dottery was also held out of Wednesday’s practice. Sources are hopeful both players will be available for Saturday’s game.”
If Leavitt is unable to play against Ole Miss, Landen Clark would be the expected starter at quarterback, per 247Sports’ Chris Hummer.
“Back in the winter, 247Sports traded texts with a Big Ten front office staffer talking about some of the underrated quarterbacks of the 2026 transfer portal cycle,” Hummer noted in a September 17, story titled, “Meet Landen Clark: The overlooked QB who could be LSU’s answer against Ole Miss amid Sam Leavitt’s injury.”
“One of the first players to come up was new LSU quarterback Landen Clark. A transfer from Elon, Clark was the other quarterback take of the 2026 cycle for the Tigers along with five-star transfer Sam Leavitt and former five-star recruit Husan Longstreet.
Will Sam Leavitt Play vs. Ole Miss? The LSU QB Is Listed as Doubtful
Not everyone is buying the severity of Leavitt’s injury. Ole Miss is skeptical that Leavitt’s status is in danger, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
This could be a bit of gamesmanship by Kiffin as he prepares to take on his former team.
“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, per sources,” Thamel noted in a September 17, message on X.
LSU HC Lane Kiffin Anticipates ‘Hatred’ Being Directed at Him in Return to Ole Miss’
There are no shortage of storylines heading into the marquee college football matchup between Leavitt’s injury and Kiffin’s return to Ole Miss. Oxford is ramping up their security in preparation for Kiffin’s return.
“I guess there’s real safety issues and stuff,” Kiffin said of the LSU-Ole Miss game, per Associated Press. “So, there’s people that have a plan for that. It is what it is.
“But I told the players today, man, like, ‘You don’t have anything to worry about as far as, like, attention on you all week. There’s just going to be so much attention, hatred — everything — on me.’”
LSU still enters the SEC matchup against Ole Miss as the favorite despite Leavitt’s uncertain status. LSU is a 2.5-point favorite against Ole Miss, per DraftKings.
LSU Dealt More Concerning Sam Leavitt Injury News Days Before Ole Miss Game