Saturday’s Week 3 headliner between No. 7 LSU (2-0) and No. 8 Ole Miss was already packed with storylines, but one more twist was added to the script Wednesday night when Tigers quarterback Sam Leavitt was listed as “doubtful” in the injury report released by the team.
It was a stunning development, as there was no word that Leavitt was nursing an injury before the report hit the wire.
So stunning, in fact, that Ole Miss isn’t buying its validity.
“No one on the Ole Miss staff is convinced LSU QB Sam Leavitt’s appearance as “doubtful” on the injury report is sincere,” ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel reported Thursday morning on X.
Leavitt played in LSU’s win over Louisiana Tech in Week 2, but neither he nor head coach Lane Kiffin mentioned any injury in the postgame press conference.
Ole Miss isn’t the only outfit that is skeptical of Leavitt’s injury, though.
Oddsmakers are also not taking Kiffin at his word.
The Bayou Bengals were a three-point favorite before the injury report was released, and after dipping down to LSU -1.5, the line at FanDuel Sportsbook has ticked back to LSU -2.5.
Of course, three is a key number in college football betting, but a half-point adjustment on a starting quarterback being listed as doubtful against a top-10 opponent is nothing.
Kiffin’s involvement is part of the reason why neither the staff at Ole Miss nor the bookies are taking the Tigers at their word.
No team will know more about the polarizing head coach’s dodgy gamesmanship tactics better than the Rebels. Kiffin spent six seasons as head coach at Ole Miss before controversially bolting for Baton Rouge at the end of the 2025 regular season.
Known for his willingness to color outside the lines, Kiffin was previously accused of being misleading with the injury report during his tenure at Ole Miss.
Per a report by AL.com, Kiffin was scrutinized for not listing former Ole Miss quarterback Austin Simmons and tight end Luke Hasz on the final availability report before a 2025 game.
Both players saw limited action in the contest.
The SEC cleared Kiffin of any wrongdoing in that case.
Should he be found in the wrong this time, he could be penalized anywhere between $25,000 and $100,000.
