Lane Kiffin's Reason For Wanting Sam Leavitt at LSU Might Surprise You

The LSU Tigers went back to the drawing board this past offseason, as they looked to right the ship from the previous two years and return the program to greatness, a word that has been closely linked between the school and the sport of college football.

Part of that quest involved bringing in a new head coach to lead the team. Lane Kiffin was the obvious answer, and after a few weeks of time, he was given the keys to the program.

He didn't come to Baton Rouge alone, though, bringing new quarterback Sam Leavitt from Arizona State with him as well, after not being able to land his previous quarterback, Trinidad Chambliss. Now, Kiffin explained on Pardon My Take why he believes the two are similar and Leavitt is the man for the job.

How the Two Quarterbacks Are Similar

Arizona State Sun Devils Quarterback Sam Leavitt — Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) against the Houston Cougars at Mountain America Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

For the Tigers, it was a fresh start. Kiffin was taking the program over, and he was exactly the splash hire the program was looking for at the time. Unfortunately for him though, he would be tasked with starting from scratch at a few specific positions, one of those including quarterback.

There were rumors that Chambliss would return to his former head coach and play for the Tigers for his last season of eligibility, but he chose to remain loyal to the Ole Miss Rebels. That left Kiffin to look in the transfer portal, and not only find a quarterback who can run his offense, but do so effectively, which led him to Leavitt.

Kiffin pointed to the similarities between Leavitt and Chambliss as a reason why he wanted the Arizona State transfer in Baton Rouge, an answer that might surprise members of both the LSU and Ole Miss fan bases.

“Yeah, I think what we see in him is some similarities to Trinidad, you know,” Kiffin said. “Winner, highly competitive, you know, he took the team to the playoffs, you know, two years ago, made a lot of plays, you know, where things broke down, he had to make plays with his feet, and he’s really, really competitive and smart. He’s really a student of the game, loves watching it."

Some might argue that the similarities are not there. Chambliss has proven himself to be a more elite player than Leavitt, but the story of the 2026 season has yet to be written.

Still, the two are a lot alike in how they play, using their feet to extend plays when needed, but showing the accuracy and poise to step up in the pocket and deliver a strike. For Kiffin, that's what he needs, as the last two seasons his signal-callers have finished third in the country in passing yards.

Leavitt has never eclipsed over 3,000 yards in a season, which would be unlike anything quarterback in a Kiffin led offense. For the Tigers new head coach, he has the upmost faith in his guy, and belief that he is like Chambliss, is a positive sign that the famous Kiffin offense, should be expected in Baton Rouge this fall as well.

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