LSU QB Sam Leavitt upgraded to 'questionable' on the SEC injury report for the Mississippi game

LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt was upgraded to “questionable” Thursday night on the Southeastern Conference injury report after initially being listed as “doubtful” for Saturday’s game at Mississippi.

The change increases the probability that Leavitt will be under center when No. 7 LSU visits No. 8 Mississippi on Saturday night in a game that is the focus of the college football world because of Tigers coach Lane Kiffin’s return to the place where he coached the previous six seasons.

Leavitt’s initial listing came four days after a 45-14 victory over Louisiana Tech, from which the dual-threat Arizona State transfer emerged without an apparent injury. Kiffin also did not mention Leavitt’s health during his regularly scheduled press conference on Monday.

But Leavitt, who has run for five touchdowns and passed for two scores in two games with the Tigers (2-0), did not practice Wednesday because of a “physical issue,” a person familiar with the situation said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Thursday because the Tigers’ practice was not open to media.

According to the SEC, starters were listed as “doubtful” the Wednesday before a game 46 times in 2025. Four times they wound up playing on Saturday.

One notable example was that of then-Missouri QB Beau Pribula (now with Virginia), who played against Oklahoma on Nov. 22 after being listed as doubtful the previous Wednesday.

When Kiffin was coaching Ole Miss in 2024, he had as many as 26 players on an injury report before a game against Georgia. Many of the players on the report wound up in the lineup for a 28-10 victory over the then-No. 2 Bulldogs.

Kiffin has since gained a reputation for using injury reports to practice gamesmanship, listing any player with an ailment on the report in order to leave upcoming opponents uncertain about which players they should prepare to play.

SEC policies say a player should be listed “doubtful” if his chances of playing are 25%, questionable if 50% and probable if 75%.

Coaches can face discipline if they are found to be using injury reports in a deceptive way, or if they miss reporting deadlines.

The SEC has yet to punish a coach since it began requiring what it calls “availability reports” in 2024.

Injury reports in college football have become more common since a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling struck down a federal ban on sports betting, leaving regulations of the practice up each state.

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