With the start of SEC play, we also get the start of official injury reports from Ole Miss and it’s SEC foe for that week.
No. 7 LSU and No. 8 Ole Miss, in case you haven’t heard, are facing one another this Saturday. The initial Student-Athlete Availability Report was published Wednesday night.
For the Rebels, there were no major surprises. In fact, the names not on the report stood out more than those on it. Defensive backs Antonio Kite and Sharif Denson were not listed in the report and should be fully available this weekend.
LSU is a bit of a different story. There is a very important name on its report. Quarterback Sam Leavitt was listed as doubtful. On3’s Pete Nakos reported that Leavitt “is dealing with a sore throwing shoulder and has been limited in practice.”
Gamesmanship or real?
The official definition for a player listed as doubtful is they’re “unlikely to play due to significant concerns.”
It would be a major development if Leavitt isn’t able to play against the Rebels. But with the game being important for more than just because of the head coaches, it’s fair to wonder if this is real or a bit of gamesmanship from the Tigers.
Ole Miss will likely have to divert some of its attention and preparation to LSU’s backup quarterbacks redshirt freshman Husan Longstreet and sophomore Landen Clark. The Rebels will have to spread out their preparation and won’t be fully locked in on Leavitt.
That would include watching film on LSU’s two backup quarterbacks. There isn’t much film on Longstreet, who was at USC last season where he completed 14-of-16 passes in his career with one touchdown through the air and two more on the ground.
Clark, a transfer from Elon, has much more experience on film, though. He threw for 2,321 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2025 and is 7-for-10 with 109 yards and a touchdown this season.
It’s not a big thing to happen, but in a game where every edge and advantage could be the deciding factor between winning and losing, anything is possible.
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. https://t.co/iIv6qiYK7q
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 17, 2026
Set up for an excuse?
The conspiracy theory of this, though, is that Kiffin is setting up his excuse if LSU loses to Ole Miss. If Leavitt doesn’t play or does play, this injury will pointed at as why the Tigers lost.
It’s either “we didn’t have our quarterback” or “our quarterback wasn’t fully healthy” and that’s why Ole Miss was able to win. Not because the Rebels are the better team, but because LSU wasn’t at its best.
It sounds far-fetched until you remember who the head coach is and the university’s history of bending the rules. Then it sounds very plausible.
We’ll continue to monitor the availability reports the remainder of the week. LSU and Ole Miss will have updated reports Thursday and Friday nights. The gameday report will be made available 90 minutes before kickoff Saturday evening.
Student-Athlete Availability Report
LSU Tigers
Out
- WR Phillip Wright III
- LB Jaiden Braker
- RB Raycine Guillory Jr.
Doubtful
- QB Sam Leavitt
Questionable
- LB TJ Dottery
- LB Tylen Singleton
Probable
- TE Trey’Dez Green
- LB Whit Weeks
- LB Davhon Keys
- OL Aliou Bah
Ole Miss Rebels
Out
- CB Victor Lincoln Jr.
- OL Emanuel Faulkner
Questionable
- RB Makhi Frazier
- OL Tommy Kinsler IV
Probable
- LB Keaton Thomas
- CB Cedrick Beavers
