What to Know About Lane Kiffin's QBs Longstreet, Landen Clark amid LSU-Ole Miss' Leavitt Injury Saga

Amid skepticism from Mississippi about Sam Leavitt's status, the college football world is learning about Husan Longstreet and Landen Clark if either one has to start for LSU in Saturday's marquee SEC showdown.

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported on Thursday that none of the Ole Miss coaches are convinced Leavitt's is going to miss the game despite being listed on the injury report as doubtful.

In the event Leavitt does miss the game, Longstreet and Clark would be the two candidates to start in his place. All three quarterbacks were added in the transfer portal in January after Lane Kiffin's hiring.

Longstreet has a much higher pedigree as a 5-star recruit and No. 4 overall quarterback in the 2025 class. He appeared in four games at USC as a freshman, completing 13 of 15 pass attempts for 103 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.

Clark spent last season as the starting quarterback for FCS program Elon. He threw for 2,321 yards, ran for 614 yards and accounted for 29 touchdowns in 12 games as a true freshman.

Kiffin has given Clark more run than Longstreet in the Tigers' first two games this season. Clark appeared in both games, throwing 10 passes and running the ball seven times.

Despite completing just under 56 percent of his attempts at Elon last season, Clark showed he has the physical traits to be a high-level thrower when he is asked to dropback.

Longstreet has one completion for 33 yards in LSU's 51-10 season-opening win over Clemson.

Per Pete Nakos of On3.com, Leavitt's injury is a sore throwing shoulder that has limited him in practice. Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports added Leavitt didn't throw on Wednesday.

According to ESPN's Alex Scarborough , citing the SEC availability report policy, a doubtful designation describes a player as having a "25% chance to play" and any attempt at gamesmanship is considered "misleading."

Penalties for inaccurate or late injury reports include fines ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 and potential "accountability measures" for head coaches.

There was already a tremendous amount of attention on this game because Kiffin is returning to Ole Miss for the first time since his decision to take the LSU job last November while the Rebels were in the mix for the College Football Playoff.

The situation with Leavitt and LSU's quarterbacks is only adding to the intrigue of what figures to be one of the most emotional matchups of the entire season.

LSU vs. Ole Miss kicks off from Vaught–Hemingway Stadium on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The home team has won each of the last six meetings in the rivalry dating back to the 2020 season.