LSU head coach Lane Kiffin can get away with a lot of things but it's going to be particularly difficult to pull a fast one on Ole Miss. Sam Leavitt, his starting quarterback, was surprisingly listed as doubtful for the much-anticipated rivalry game between the two programs on Saturday. Leavitt's injury was not a major talking point prior to the injury reports being published as he completed last week's game and spoke to reporters afterward without appearing to be in pain, though some believe his appearance could be some sort of gamesmanship tactic.
And by some, we mean just about everyone in Oxford, Mississippi. "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," ESPN's Pete Thamel posted to X on Thursday. Kiffin using an injury to his starting quarterback as a way to get in the heads of his former team would be quite crazy, but what would make it even crazier are the rules in place to prevent this sort of thing.
The Southeastern Conference's availability report policy defines the doubtful designation as "unlikely to play due to significant concerns" and states acts of gamesmanship "intended to hide a student-athlete's true participation status for competitive or strategic reasons" are prohibited and can carry fines of up to $100,000. LSU does appear to have infinite money, though, so perhaps it's a gamble worth taking? Leavitt was scheduled to speak with media members Tuesday about the trip to Ole Miss, according to a team spokesperson, but he did not show up for that appearance.
Leavitt's primary backups are freshman Husan Longstreet and sophomore Landen Clark. As if Ole Miss-LSU couldn't get any more interesting.
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