Sam Leavitt goes from doubtful to questionable for LSU - ESPN

LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt has been upgraded from doubtful to questionable for Saturday's primetime rivalry game vs. Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi.

Leavitt was initially listed as doubtful on the SEC's availability report Wednesday night. On Thursday, he and starting linebacker TJ Dottery, who leads the team in tackles, were listed as questionable.

The exact nature of Leavitt's injury is unclear. He did not appear to be in pain during last weekend's win over Louisiana Tech, and coach Lane Kiffin didn't mention that his star quarterback was dealing with an injury during a Monday news conference.

During his weekly radio show Thursday night, Kiffin didn't address Leavitt's injury, either.

Sources on the Ole Miss staff told ESPN's Pete Thamel on Thursday morning that they weren't convinced Leavitt's appearance on the availability report was sincere.

The SEC will release two more availability reports ahead of Saturday's game: one Friday night and another 90 minutes before kickoff.

The SEC's availability report policy defines a doubtful designation as «unlikely to play due to significant concerns» and describes it as a player having a «25%» chance to play.

The conference's reporting policy states that acts of gamesmanship «intended to hide a student-athlete's true participation status for competitive or strategic reasons» are prohibited, as is conduct that could reasonably be construed as «misleading.»

The SEC also says schools should take extra precautions to act in good faith when disclosing the status of high-profile athletes, such as starting quarterbacks.

Penalties for inaccurate or late reports range from $25,000 to $100,000 for football and can include «accountability measures» for head coaches. SEC commissioner Greg