LSU listed quarterback Sam Leavitt as doubtful on its first injury report ahead of this weekend’s game at Ole Miss.

Leavitt is dealing with an upper body injury and he did not throw in Wednesday’s practice, CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz reports.

Leavitt did not appear to be injured in last week’s win over Louisiana Tech, where he rebounded from a three-interception first half with 366 total yards and four total touchdowns. LSU only led Louisiana Tech by a single possession last weekend at halftime, a result of turnover-filled first two quarters inside Tiger Stadium.

“Sam’s gotta do a better job taking care of the ball,” Kiffin said in the aftermath. “We made a lot of yards, and we were smooth through that at times, but obviously, the red zone is where you gotta finish drives. So maybe it was perfect for us that we needed something like that, ’cause it’s a game we play good on offense in games.”

Lane Kiffin made no mention of an injury to his most important player during this week’s media availability ahead of Saturday night’s league opener. Leavitt has thrown for 574 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions over LSU’s first two games this season, along with 135 yards rushing and five scores.

He’s struggled with injuries in the past, missing a total of seven games in the last two seasons at Arizona State.

Sam Leavitt injury history

LSU’s backup QB situation

LSU’s backup quarterback appears to be Landen Clark, a transfer from Elon who was the 2025 CAA Co-Offensive Rookie of the Year. Clark is technically listed as No. 3 on the depth chart, but has been first off the bench in both games this season.  He threw 18 passing touchdowns and rushed for 11 more last season at Elon.

Also on the roster is Husan Longstreet, a USC transfer who completed 13 of 15 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown with the Trojans a year ago as a freshman. He was a five-star prospect coming out of high school, ranked the No. 32 overall player and No. 4 quarterback in the 2025 class, according to 247Sports.

What happens next?

The SEC’s availability reports are now in their third season. Schools must adhere to guidelines for three days leading up to kickoff in league contests with updates nightly, beginning on Wednesdays of game week.

Final reports are due 90 minutes before kickoff, and schools are fined for non-compliance, inaccurate or late reporting, ranging from $25,000 to $100,000.

Coaches must release their initial availability report by 8 p.m. on Wednesday of each week and must update it daily with a final report coming 90 minutes prior to kickoff. Player status designations include “available,” “probable,” “questionable,” “doubtful,” or “out” before game day. On game days, they’re to be marked as “available,” “game time decision,” or “out.”

There are consequences for non-compliance, which includes both inaccurate and late reporting, with fines to the school ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 for football.

Other players listed on the availability report for LSU include wideout Phillip Wright III (Out), linebacker Jaiden Bracker (Out), running back Raycine Guillory Jr. (Out), linebacker TJ Dottery (Questionable), linebacker Tylen Singleton (Questionable), and four players under the probable designation, including Whit Weeks and Trey’Dez Green.

SEC availability designations

LSU’s next injury report is due Thursday night at 8:10 p.m. ET.

Texas quarterback Arch Manning went viral on social media after laughing at a controversial AI-generated video during a media availability.

Manning, 22, was riffing with reporters during an availability on Monday and was asked about seeing clips of the mayhem following Texas’s historic win over No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday. One reporter asked about whether he saw any of the AI edits going around social media.

“I saw a few AI edits but that’s about it,” Manning said with a laugh. “I saw an AI edit of Sark’s interview. Of him slapping [reporter] Holly Rowe? Yeah, it’s hilarious.”

A tangible portion of the Texas press corps, which includes print and television, can be heard laughing along while Manning delivered his response. Evan Vieth, the reporter who asked Manning the question, tweeted the video with the added caption that Manning’s answer was “gold.” The video quickly went viral Monday evening and as of Tuesday morning has been viewed more than 20 million times.

During the game on Saturday, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian walked away from the traditional postgame interview with reporter Holly Rowe, yelling “Texas fight! Hook ’em!” and running off. Rowe was visibly annoyed after the fact.

In response, a social media user AI generated a revolting video of Sarkisian turning back and slapping Rowe in the face and yelling at the camera. The video went viral, but received many more views after Manning brought attention with his comments.

AI videos and edits have become common on major social media sites over the past several years following growth of the technology. They are often used to spread misinformation or make jokes at the expense of their subjects.

Sarkisian also ran away from reporter Laura Rutledge at halftime, claiming that they made him wait too long. Rutledge said on the broadcast that he apologized to her at the time before running off, and that a technical issue was to blame after Ohio State coach Ryan Day’s interview prior. ESPN issued via Rutledge a public apology to Sarkisian to begin the third quarter, shouldering the blame for the technical issues.

Texas was trailing 20-3 at the time before coming back to win 24-23, the biggest comeback of the 21st century against an AP No. 1 team.