Lane Kiffin Has 'Full Faith' in LSU QB Landen Clark if Sam Leavitt Sits

The injury bug has affected LSU's top players. Dashawn Spears, Phillip Wright III, and Charles Ross II all suffered season-ending injuries over the last few weeks. Tight end Trey'Dez Green and linebacker Whit Weeks also suffered multi-week injuries.

Tigers' quarterback Sam Leavitt is also dealing with a hamstring injury. With LSU hosting McNeese State, Lane Kiffin may allow Leavitt to heal this week and turn to backup QB Landen Clark.

"We'll be extremely cautious this week all around, because it's just the schedule you play with," Kiffin said. "Once you go to nine, it's another SEC game. I mean, it feels like we played a whole season already, and we have seven SEC games to go."

Who is Landen Clark?

LSU Tigers quarterback Landen Clark. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Clark transferred from Elon, where he threw for over 2,300 yards and 18 touchdowns with the Phoenix last year. He transferred to LSU and earned the backup quarterback job.

Clark has appeared in three of the four games this season and has done a nice job. He threw for 72 yards and a touchdown against Clemson. Clark's running ability is a standout trait. He has 83 rushing yards and three touchdowns this year.

The Tigers will be heavily favored, which leaves the door open for Clark to start. However, Kiffin's confidence in Clark is high.

"Landen's done a great job," Kiffin said. "When he goes into games, you know, he really finds a way to make plays. He really does a good job in practice. Not saying he's Trinidad, but in the same way with Trinidad, whenever he went into scrimmages — all of a sudden these things happen, or the games, and Landen has done the same thing."

Tigers Quarterback Landen Clark 11, LSU Tigers take on the Clemson Tigers. September 5, 2026; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; at Tiger Stadium. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

If Clark starts, Kiffin will heavily lean on Dilin Jones to handle a large workload and utilize Clark's running ability. It'll be similar to Leavitt's offense. Jones talked about the possibility of Clark starting and what the offense could look like.

"I feel like it's the exact same," Jones said. "It ain't no drop-off. You can see that he's very comfortable and can do the same thing. He can run the ball, he can throw, he's smart. He prepares the exact same way Sam do."

Whether Clark starts on Saturday remains to be seen. Kiffin is unlikely to reveal an answer until the last minute, but the Tigers will be in good hands if they pivot to Clark.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google