LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt was listed as “doubtful” on the SEC’s official availability report released Wednesday night, throwing uncertainty over Saturday’s game against Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi.
Leavitt was limited in Wednesday’s practice in Baton Rouge because of an upper-body injury, according to sources who spoke with OutKick. Just last week he threw for 366 yards and four touchdowns, along with three interceptions, in a win over Louisiana Tech.
Head coach Lane Kiffin did not mention any injury to Leavitt during his Monday press conference, though he was not asked about one either. Kiffin is scheduled to hold his coaches show Thursday night in Baton Rouge before the team travels to the Oxford area Friday afternoon, which may offer the next opportunity for an update.
What ‘doubtful’ means under SEC rules
The SEC and other conferences have required teams to issue injury availability reports for several years, starting with an initial report three days before kickoff. LSU will file a second update Thursday and a third Friday, with a final report due 90 minutes before warm-ups on game day. Conferences can fine teams that fail to comply with the reporting protocol, and schools can also be penalized for gamesmanship in how they classify players.
Under the SEC handbook, a “doubtful” designation means a player is “unlikely to play due to significant concerns.” That is a step below “questionable,” which indicates a player is “uncertain to play due to injury or condition.” LSU’s choice to list Leavitt near the bottom of the injury scale suggests real doubt about his availability for Saturday.
The game carries extra weight for Kiffin, who returns to Oxford for the first time as LSU’s head coach after previously leading Ole Miss. Whether Leavitt will be cleared to play remains unknown, and LSU is under no obligation to clarify his status before the next scheduled report.
