By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
Forget the grade of LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt’s hamstring injury.
It wasn’t a Grade 3 tear, which would have ended his season. Not a Grade 2 strain, which would have had him out for three to four weeks. It was closest to a Grade 1 mild strain.
“I’m doing incredible,” Leavitt said as he walked to the podium for player interviews on Tuesday.
He fielded a question specifically about his hamstring, which he tweaked in the second quarter against Texas A&M on Sept. 26, and never left the game for the injury. But he did stay in the pocket most of the time and did not run much in the rest of that game and against McNeese State last Saturday.
“It’s feeling really good,” he said. “I’ll be 100 percent by Saturday. It was just a super light hamstring thing.”
No. 10 LSU (4-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) plays at No. 25 Kentucky (4-1, 2-1 SEC) on Saturday (6 p.m., ESPN).
“I got it back really good for the last game, and I just didn’t really have to run around,” Leavitt said.
The redshirt junior transfer from Arizona State plans to run when needed against Kentucky and display a different approach to quarterback than he used in his first five games.
“I definitely think I have a different perspective now than I had week three,” he said of the loss at Ole Miss when he was frequently inaccurate and decided to run too quickly at times. “I don’t even know how to explain it. It’s kind of just a feeling of the pocket and a feeling of how the flow of the game is. It’s an understanding of when have got to take off and run or check downs (to short passes).”
In LSU’s first three games, Leavitt rushed 40 times for 198 yards. Since the injury, he has not had a rush as he stayed in the pocket to protect the hamstring.
“I joked to him that (injuring hamstring in 2nd quarter) was the best thing that could’ve happened, because he HAD to stay in the pocket.” – Lane Kiffin on Sam Leavitt.
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) September 27, 2026
“It was a blessing in a way,” he said. “God works in mysterious ways. I’m just going to take everything as it is and use it to my advantage. I’m really happy that it happened to me like it did. Now, I’ve got to play quarterback first and playmaker second. Use my legs when it has to happen, rather than forcing it. And that’s when I think it can be even more lethal. I view it as one complete aspect of the game.”
For the first time since the Ole Miss game when he completed 16 of 27 passes for 158 yards and rushed 17 times for 63 yards, Leavitt will use both parts of his game.
“This week, I’m sure I’ll be 100 percent,” he said. “So, it’s going to be a great test.”
Be the first to comment