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Alex Scarborough
Multiple Authors
A unique 48 hours of tracking the health and availability of LSU star quarterback Sam Leavitt ended Friday night, when he was not listed on the SEC availability report for Saturday’s game at Ole Miss, indicating that he is expected to participate.
LSU coach Lane Kiffin, speaking on ESPN’s “College GameDay” on Saturday morning, said Leavitt was ready to play after a “scare” earlier in the week.
“Sam’s doing great,” Kiffin said. “Early in the week, had a scare in practice but had a great recovery, worked really hard and he’s ready to go.”
A source also told ESPN’s Heather Dinich on Friday night that Leavitt will be “available” to start.
Leavitt’s appearance on the report Wednesday night raised eyebrows throughout the SEC because it was unclear when or how he was injured. He finished last Saturday’s game against Louisiana Tech without appearing to be in pain, and in multiple public comments, Kiffin had not mentioned an injury.
Sources on the Ole Miss staff told ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Thursday morning that they weren’t convinced that Leavitt’s appearance on the availability report was sincere.
By Thursday evening, Leavitt’s status on the availability report changed to questionable.
LSU linebacker and leading tackler TJ Dottery remains questionable for the game against Ole Miss. He has been listed as such on the availability report all week.
The SEC’s reporting policy states that acts of gamesmanship “intended to hide a student-athlete’s true participation status for competitive or strategic reasons” are prohibited, as is conduct that could reasonably be construed as “misleading.”
The SEC also says schools should take extra precautions to act in good faith when disclosing the status of high-profile athletes, such as starting quarterbacks.
Penalties for inaccurate or late reports range from $25,000 to $100,000 for football and can include “accountability measures” for head coaches. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has discretion to administer penalties as appropriate based on the circumstances.
Leavitt, widely regarded as the top transfer quarterback during this past offseason, has scored seven touchdowns in two games (two passing, five rushing). He was a two-year starter, Big 12 Freshman of the Year and second-team All-Big 12 selection at Arizona State before joining Kiffin and the Tigers this offseason.
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