Sam Leavitt’s story at LSU didn’t begin with hype or spring dominance. He’s still recovering from an injury he suffered at Arizona State last season. And this is serious because the Tigers’ 2026 ceiling starts with his right foot. That’s why there’s still a question mark on Lane Kiffin’s offense for 2026, at least on the QB side. But on Monday, a positive rehab update dropped on his Instagram.
“Small step back for a bigger one forward!! Let’s GEAUX!!” Sam Leavitt posted on his IG story, sharing a picture of his bandaged right foot. “Got the pins out of my foot from initial surgery, lol did not get injured again.”
It may be a small update but it’s meaningful especially when you have thousands of fans worried about the progress. Getting those pins removed is like a checkpoint as it shows that the recovery is advancing. Still, this doesn’t mean LSU is in the clear because the real test hasn’t even started.
Spring practice is different from real football. Those non-contact drills and controlled reps help but it’s not SEC football where DEs won’t ease up because you’re coming off a football surgery. In contrast, that might even become a weak point opponents could exploit. Sam Leavitt moving around in spring was encouraging but Lisfranc injuries tend to linger. They test explosiveness and challenge cutting ability which are the main traits that define the QB’s game.
So while the pins are out, the real evaluation hasn’t even begun. And there’s urgency in this because LSU didn’t bring in Lane Kiffin to be average. Likewise, the head coach didn’t bring in Sam Leavitt to struggle. The Tigers’ offense last season was terrible as they averaged 22.8 points per game and 5.2 yards per play. That’s why the offensive genius aka transfer portal king is in Baton Rouge.
At Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin’s units thrived. When he left Oxford, he already had more than 37,000 total yards. Now, he’s bringing that sustained output to LSU along with his right-hand man in Charlie Weis Jr. and has already doubled down on tempo, flexibility, and QB mobility. That’s why Sam Leavitt, the headliner of LSU’s portal haul, is here now.
Lane Kiffin knows what he can do with Sam Leavitt. In seven starts last season, he went 5-2 and completed 145 of 239 passes. In his limited season, he threw for 1,628 yards, 10 touchdowns, and just three interceptions. When healthy, he’s also a runner who ran the ball 73 times for 306 yards and five scores. And you know how Kiffin emphasizes on the run game.
Can Sam Leavitt justify Lane Kiffin’s QB choice?
Lane Kiffin’s offense depends on mobile QBs. So his choice of QBs are usually those who have the ability to extend plays, stress defenses, and benefit from broken pockets. Sam Leavitt is the perfect guy for that. Across his career, he recorded 4,652 yards and 816 yards, for passing and rushing, respectively. At ASU, he led the Sun Devils to a 16-4 record as a starter, including an 11-2 run and a CFP berth in 2024.
From what he’s running at LSU, this season is going to focus heavily on the run game and players are already seeing the changes, including RB Harlem Berry.
“This is definitely a different type of offensive scheme,” he said of Lane Kiffin’s offense. “A lot of different things I’m seeing and just being able to get us out the backfield more in routes and in space is something we’ve seen a lot and I’m loving it.”
Still, LSU is an “expansion team” right now, as Lane Kiffin puts it. And even with all the pieces and schemes intact, the success of their offense is still going to depend heavily on the health of Sam Leavitt. The reality Tigers’ fans have to deal with is that a dual-threat QB with a compromised foot isn’t a dual-threat QB, but a question mark. But well, the pins are out and progress is showing so we’ll see how it goes.
