The LSU Tigers have been ravaged by injuries over the course of the 2026 season, but despite that, the program is 6-2 and still in control of its own destiny if it can find a way to win out the rest of the year.
The Tigers have continued to be a threat to college football because of the fast-paced, lethal offense that is able to keep opposing defenses on their heels and can seemingly score at will when needed during contests.
That starts with Sam Leavitt, who has turned a corner over the last three weeks. If he can sustain the level of play he has found himself at now, then he gives the Tigers a chance not just to make the College Football Playoffs, but potentially to win it all, too.
Leavitt was brought onto campus to be the captain of the Tigers’ offense, with head coach Lane Kiffin essentially hand-picking him to run the offense in his first year in Baton Rouge. There were many reasons he was picked, but his decision-making and athletic ability were the primary reasons Leavitt was the obvious choice for the program.
He came out of the gate firing on all cylinders, but a lot of his success was because he was using his legs as the driving force for the offense, rather than his arm. While it certainly worked – scoring six rushing touchdowns with 198 yards on the ground – it started to become a crutch rather than a feature of his play.
Leavitt has been great through the air, though, ranking 7th in the country in passing yards with 2,172, tied for 13th with 17 passing touchdowns, and 5th in the country in QBR with an 85.9. However, he started the first six games of the season throwing at least one interception in every game, including three against Louisiana Tech in the second game of the year.
However, in the last two games, Leavitt has thrown no interceptions, completed 74.1 percent of his passes (63 for 85), and posted his highest completion percentage of the year against the Mississippi State Bulldogs (81.6). That resulted in 676 passing yards and seven touchdowns, while adding just 12 rushes for 65 yards.
That is the version of Leavitt that poses a threat to the rest of the country. Running back Dilin Jones was brought in to reinvent the run game, and the program has legitimate receiving threats in Jackson Harris and Trey’Dez Green to complement him as well.
Making teams be aware of his arm capabilities and respecting them will open up avenues to use his legs in the rushing game as well, further making the offense more lethal. That is how the Tigers can win a national championship, but sustaining that version needs to be proven first.
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