Sam Leavitt's Injury Saga Has Taken the Turn Everyone Saw Coming

LSU Tigers quarterback Sam Leavitt was doubtful on the initial SEC injury report ahead of Saturday's matchup in Oxford against Ole Miss.

Now, in a change of events that nearly everyone predicted, he's suddenly off the latest injury report that was released Friday night.

Leavitt is set to start for No. 7 LSU against No. 8 Ole Miss despite dealing with shoulder soreness, per reports from On3's Pete Nakos.

Let's face it: Lane Kiffin's mind games didn't fool anyone, even LSU fans. It's all for the best, as college football fans across the country want to see both teams as healthy as possible ahead of one of the most highly-anticipated regular season games in recent memory.

Sam Leavitt's Status Was Never Really in Doubt

LSU Tigers quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) during warmups before the game against Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Tiger Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When Leavitt surprisingly popped up on the injury report Wednesday evening with a "doubtful" tag, panic immediately set in for LSU. But for those familiar with the way Kiffin handles injury reports, there wasn't much doubt about whether or not Leavitt would play against Ole Miss on Saturday.

It turns out the latter was correct.

It's rare for a player to go from doubtful to questionable and then off the injury report altogether in only a matter of two days. Leavitt's even avoiding the "game-time decision" tag, which seemed like a possibility.

The Tigers could have kept Ole Miss guessing right up until kickoff, but he's now set to play in one of the biggest games of his career.

If Kiffin wanted to really milk it, he could've "pulled" Leavitt early last week against Louisiana Tech with a phantom injury. This would've made it more realistic when Leavitt popped up on the injury report, but then again, that also would have allowed Pete Golding and the Rebels to begin prepping for LSU backup Landen Clark a bit earlier in the week.

Leavitt will need to clean up the turnover issues he wants to lead the Tigers to a massive resume-building win in Oxford. He's throws four interceptions compared to just two touchdowns during the first two games of this season.

He's made up for this with five rushing touchdowns but it's clear there's room for improvement. Leavitt can't afford to give the ball back to Trinidad Chambliss and the Ole Miss offense, or the Tigers will be walking out of Oxford with a loss on Saturday night.

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