Ole Miss coach Pete Golding was having none of it. Lane Kiffin, his former boss and now LSU coach, sent a text Wednesday ahead of the injury report release claiming starting quarterback Sam Leavitt was out for Saturday’s game. Golding’s immediate, and frankly hilarious, internal response: “Yeah buddy, I bet he is.” That line, dropped by Golding himself on “The Pat McAfee Show” Friday, pretty much sums up the situation with Kiffin’s infamous injury reports.
Lane Kiffin Tried to Pull a Fast One on His Old Pal
So, here’s the play: Kiffin texts Golding before the official injury report drops. “Hey our quarterback’s out,” Kiffin claims. The report then officially listed Leavitt as “doubtful” to play. But Golding, who spent three-and-a-half years working with Kiffin, has seen this movie before. He openly recounted the many Wednesdays he’d been around Kiffin and his injury reports. Golding even joked about a specific “first one” where Kiffin supposedly had 42 guys on the SEC injury list. While Golding admits he was exaggerating that particular number, he’s definitely not kidding that Kiffin’s past reports were stacked. Remember that first SEC-mandated injury report in 2024? Ole Miss had a staggering 26 players listed, with fourteen of them tagged as probable. It’s that kind of history that makes Golding’s skepticism about Leavitt’s “doubtful” status completely understandable.
LSU’s QB Status Upgraded and the Game is ON
Golding wasn’t the only one in the Ole Miss camp who smelled a rat. ESPN reported Thursday morning that the entire Ole Miss coaching staff wasn’t buying Leavitt would be out. And Golding’s comments on Friday just backed up that feeling. Sure enough, Thursday night saw LSU upgrade Leavitt’s status to “questionable.” Why the change? Leavitt reportedly participated in the team’s walkthrough practice. What a surprise, right? If you’re as confident as Pete Golding is about the situation, you can absolutely plan on seeing Sam Leavitt under center on Saturday night. This whole drama just adds another layer of intrigue to what’s sure to be a wild game.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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