LSU Football: QB Sam Leavitt Threw Deep TD Pass At Final Spring Scrimmage On Saturday

By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor

LSU junior transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt, who was expected to be out for the duration of spring drills after having the screws removed on April 6 from a November foot surgery, took part in the Tigers’ scrimmage at Tiger Stadium on Saturday that concluded spring drills for the year.

And he threw a long touchdown right off the bat.

(Watch LSU football coach Lane Kiffin’s press conference on Tuesday by clicking the arrow below.)

“A very deep ball that probably would’ve gone for a touchdown,” LSU coach Lane Kiffin clarified at a press conference on Tuesday. “So, that felt good. He’s doing a great job. He only played eight plays. We did seven-on-seven first, which we normally wouldn’t do, just so Sam and a number of other (injured) players, including (linebacker) Whit Weeks, were able to do that because they wouldn’t have been able to do team stuff.”

SAM LEAVITT HAS SCREWS REMOVED FROM PREVIOUS FOOT SURGERY

When Leavitt went through spring drills in March and in early April before the screw removal, he did not take part in full team drills. While at Arizona State last season, he had Lisfranc surgery on his foot that realigns and stabilizes the middle part of the foot. He transferred to LSU as the No. 1 player in the portal.

“He has a super powerful arm and is extremely confident. And he can run. What he’s really good at, too, is deciphering a lot of information in half a second.” LSU QB Sam Leavitt’s coach at West Linn High in Oregon – Jon Eagle. https://t.co/RoUUULDayE

— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) January 13, 2026

“He’s really competitive, wants to be great,” Kiffin said of Leavitt, who met with Kiffin Tuesday morning. “Wants the team to be great. He’s in a really good place that way. Just still working through his foot before getting out there and being able to play with the guys more.”

Leavitt is expected to be practicing close to 100 percent when August practices begin for the 2026 season.

“Very few players really love the game – the work that’s within it. And Sam is that,” Kiffin said. “He loves to go home at night and spend more time on football – on the things he can develop, not just physically, but mentally also.”

Kiffin said he was pleased overall with the offense during the latter part of spring drills with redshirt freshman transfer quarterback Husan Longstreet of USC taking most of the first team snaps in Leavitt’s absence.

“I thought the offense was in really good rhythm for the second Saturday in a row,” Kiffin said. “Made a number of plays. The system was working as far as tempo and spreading the ball around. We held a few defensive players out (for injuries) after the the first series, so that obviously helps in that situation. I was very pleased. It was a good feeling coming out.”