Is Sam Leavitt really doubtful? Classic Lane Kiffin chicanery? On LSU-Ole Miss week, the fun's in the mystery

LSU's Wednesday night injury report shocker throws a wrench into one of the season's most anticipated games, but is it just another case of Lane being Lane?

Sep 17, 2026 at 2:11 pm ET • 3 min read

Already one of the most anticipated games of the season, Wednesday night brought a significant twist to LSU's trip to Ole Miss this weekend. When the SEC released its initial availability report, Tigers quarterback Sam Leavitt was shockingly listed as doubtful to play. 

Is Kiffin gaming the system? Or is he truly concerned that Leavitt might not play?

According to CBS Sports' Bud Elliott, Kiffin listed players as doubtful 14 times in the last two seasons at Ole Miss. Thirteen times, the players did not play, but Kiffin was renowned for perhaps overusing the questionable designation. 

The SEC did not respond to a request for comment when asked how often players listed as doubtful end up playing. The doubtful designation is intended to mean " a less than 25% chance to play," according to the league's policy.

Skepticism around Kiffin's action is to be expected, but it is multiplied given the magnitude of LSU's game against Ole Miss -- all eyes will be on Oxford for the coach's return to his old stomping grounds, which begs the question …

Is LSU playing games?

Sources tell CBS Sports that Leavitt is indeed battling a legitimate injury. CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz reported that Leavitt sat out Wednesday's practice with an upper-body injury. It is not out of the realm of possibility that Leavitt will be listed as doubtful on the Thursday night SEC availability report. According to sources, the Tigers have a light Thursday practice akin to most teams' Friday walkthroughs. But there is also the three-dimensional chess factor to all of this.

"He might be telling the truth, and he might be telling the truth because he knows that nobody's going to believe him," a source surmised when trying to sort through possible Kiffin gamesmanship. 

There is certainly the possibility that Kiffin is trying to get his old defensive coordinator, Pete Golding, to overprepare for LSU's backups.

It's doubtful anyone in Oxford will believe that Leavitt is unable to play until kickoff Saturday evening.

If Leavitt does play, it wouldn't be the first significant availability report chicanery.

Availability reports are relatively new to college football

The NFL has issued injury reports for years and in 2016 trimmed its designations to "questionable," "doubtful" and "out." Teams were overusing the report, listing healthy players as probable, which the league eliminated. The league found that probable players were playing 95% of the time.

According to SEC policy, the league has the authority to look into violations of the injury policy, and school personnel must cooperate. A school "must take extra precautions to avoid a surprise in respect to a high-profile student-athlete's status." 

For football violations, there are potential financial penalties for the school for a first offense ($25,000), a second offense ($50,000), and any subsequent offense ($100,000). A school's head coach is also subject to a fine that increases with each subsequent offense.

Last season, in a home win over Michigan, USC listed running back Bryan Jackson as out on the team's final pregame availability report. He did not initially dress for the game, but in the first half, running backs Waymond Jordan and Eli Sanders both went down with injuries. 

Jackson had been out with a turf toe injury since earlier in the season, and team doctors had cleared him to play against the Wolverines, but head coach Lincoln Riley held him out for emergency use.

Jackson dressed at halftime, entered the game in the fourth quarter, rushed for 35 yards on five carries, and scored a late touchdown in USC's 31-13 win.

The Big Ten fined USC $5,000 and publicly admonished the Trojans. Riley claimed his staff cleared the situation with the conference office.