The entire college football offseason has been building up to this weekend as Lane Kiffin finally makes his return to Oxford.
After LSU finally pulled the trigger on firing Brian Kelly, the Tigers' head coaching job was clearly the best on the market. Much to the disappointment of Ole Miss fans, Lane Kiffin knew LSU gave him a much better chance of winning a National Championship, and he took the job leaving Ole Miss right before the College Football Playoff.
From Lane Kiffin's departure to the back-and-forth trades in the Transfer Portal, and everything inbetween, the hype for this weekend's game is off the charts. On Wednesday Night, the excitement for the game took a massive hit with Sam Leavitt's appearance on the weekly availability report with the LSU starter being listed as "doubtful".
What's the latest on Sam Leavitt's injury?
After Sam Leavitt appeared on the injury report on Wednesday Night, everyone started to wonder whether or not he would be available on Saturday Night. Reports instantly started to circulate on Thursday that Sam Leavitt was dealing with back spasms that kept him out of Wednesday's workout, but that he did participate on Thursday Morning.
NEW: Sam Leavitt participated in LSU’s practice Thursday morning, sources confirm.
— Matt Moscona (@MattMoscona) September 17, 2026
Back spasms kept him out of Wednesday’s workout, leading to his listing on the initial availability report.@1045espn @LASportsDotNet
The second availability report is released each week on Thursday, and on Thursday Night, Sam Leavitt was listed as questionable.
Per Thursday Night’s SEC availability report, LSU starting QB Sam Leavitt is now listed as questionable after being listed as doubtful on Wednesday Night #LSU pic.twitter.com/VfA9HeIlGM
— Nick Rome (@Nick_rome2) September 18, 2026
Sam Leavitt's status being upgraded is great news for LSU, as it appears that things are trending in the right direction, and that he could be available for this weekend's game. While LSU has solid backups, Sam Leavitt has gotten the starting reps all offseason, and his experience will be valuable in a massive road game in the most hostile environment possible.
If Sam Leavitt isn't able to play on Saturday Night, Elon transfer Landen Clark would appear to be the next man up for the Tigers. Landen Clark has appeared in both games this season, going 7-for-10 for 109 yards and a touchdown while adding another 42 yards and a score with his legs. Last season at Elon, Clark passed for 2,321 yards and 18 touchdowns with 8 interceptions, picking up another 614 yards and 11 touchdowns with his legs.
This offseason with Garrett Nussmeier departing for the NFL along with Michael Van Buren and Colin Hurley entering the Transfer Portal, Lane Kiffin had to restock the quarterback room. The Tigers went out and added two capable backups to Leavitt in Landen Clark and Husan Longstreet, and now the extra investment may end up being well worth it if Leavitt can't play.
The LSU Tigers will face Ole Miss on Saturday Night in Oxford with the game kicking off at 6:30 PM ET live on ESPN. If you're looking for a streaming platform to enjoy all the chaos, FuboTV carries ESPN along with hundreds of other channels to catch all the biggest games.
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