Over the first two weeks of the season, Leavitt is 41-of-66 for 574 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions, including three in a sloppy Week 2 win over Louisiana Tech. He’s also added five rushing touchdowns, already tying his personal record for a single season.
If Leavitt is unable to play after his unexpected addition to the injury report, it would be a huge hit to the Tigers. It would also put backup Landen Clark in position to start in what would be a game between two previously unheralded quarterbacks.
Clark spent the past two seasons at FCS Elon and finished 2025 with 2,935 total yards (2,321 passing, 614 rushing), 29 total touchdowns and eight interceptions. Ole Miss starter Trinidad Chambliss, meanwhile, is in his second season with the Rebels after previously playing for Division II Ferris State.
While that would create a compelling subplot, LSU’s best chances of winning a rare top-10 clash between the two rivals is if Leavitt heals enough over the next three days to go from doubtful to available. But that may come with additional off-field problems.
The SEC has rules against manipulating injury reports for a competitive advantage. According to the SEC’s official website, “Penalties for inaccurate or late reports range from $25,000 – $100,000 for football.”
Among the terms and conditions of the availability report is a portion on a “Duty to Act in Good Faith.” Under that section, the SEC writes, “Acts of gamesmanship intended to hide a student-athlete’s true participation status for competitive or strategic reasons are prohibited.
“Any other conduct that reasonably could be construed as misleading or creating unnecessary confusion regarding a student-athlete’s participation status is likewise prohibited,” the official SEC document adds.
The conference and LSU were already at odds earlier this year over a dispute stemming from the NCAA’s recently adopted five-year eligibility model. Class of 2022 high-school graduates including Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris attempted to take advantage of the June rule change after signing NFL contracts only for the SEC to adopt draconian penalties against teams rostering former pros.
Earlier in September, the conference scheduled a vote on potentially banishing LSU from its ranks only to back off after the Tigers decided not to add Wright and Harris.
With the sting from that saga still fresh, it would be unwise for Kiffin to once again go against the SEC by over-exaggerating his starting quarterback’s health.
Considering Leavitt’s importance to LSU’s offense, his status heading into Saturday’s game will be under intense scrutiny, perhaps nowhere more than at SEC headquarters.
