A massive storyline emerged in college football on Wednesday night when the star quarterback of the No. 7 LSU Tigers suddenly showed up on their initial SEC injury report ahead of Saturday night’s matchup against the No. 8 Ole Miss Rebels.
The attention for this game is obviously extremely high, as it marks the return of LSU head coach Lane Kiffin to Oxford, where he coached for the last six seasons and abruptly left right before the College Football Playoff to take the job in Baton Rouge.
Leavitt Listed as Doubtful Against Ole Miss
While it’d be one thing if he showed up as probable or even questionable on the injury report, LSU listed Leavitt as the sole player with a doubtful designation due to a sore throwing shoulder, according to Pete Nakos of On3.
Several others showed up on the report from LSU, and while it could be mind games by Kiffin, trying something like that against a team and program that knows you and your tendencies as well as anybody in the country wouldn’t make all that much logical sense.
A shocker on the SEC injury report, with LSU starting quarterback Sam Leavitt listed as doubtful. pic.twitter.com/jb7PMrblqR
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 17, 2026
Who Will Start if Leavitt Is Ruled Out?
This will be the biggest question entering Saturday night as more information comes out on Leavitt’s status. According to LSU’s depth chart, Elon transfer Landen Clark entered the season as the Tigers’ No. 2 QB.
Clark brings a dual-threat mentality to the team and would be an intriguing option against the Rebels.
Don’t count out LSU with Landen Clark
He’s a BALLER pic.twitter.com/cIIz2DSwwJ
— SleeperCFB (@SleeperCFB) September 17, 2026
LSU also has former five-star prospect Husan Longstreet, who transferred from USC this offseason. However, he entered the year as the third-string quarterback and would likely remain behind Clark.
Longstreet has little to no collegiate experience, so throwing him into the fire at a raucous Oxford crowd doesn’t make much sense. Clark has extensive starting experience, even if he gained it at a much smaller Division
Who’s Starting at QB for LSU if Sam Leavitt is Ruled Out Against Ole Miss?