LSU Tigers quarterback Sam Leavitt underwent a planned procedure, sidelining him for the Spring. This expected absence fuels a crucial battle for backup quarterback snaps.
LSU Tigers football fans were met with some bad news on Tuesday, but it seems like something the coaching staff knew about and has been planning for.
In the latest post-spring practice press conference, Lane Kiffin addressed the absence of quarterback Sam Leavitt, due to a procedure to get the pins removed from his foot:
"[It's not a surprise]. This is the timeline we expected. Had the screw removed yesterday, and everything went well. You know, it was something that, going into it, we were going to know that it was going to be unfortunate. He was going to miss a lot of Spring, but that was going to allow the other guys a lot of opportunities."
It appears that Leavitt will now likely miss the rest of Spring camp as he recovers, but fans shouldn't expect this to derail any plans.
The timing isn't ideal. Right now would be a perfect time to continue building some rhythm together. Between quarterbacks and wide receivers, only Winnie Watkins has been in the system before. No one has played with each other. It's not as simple as plugging and playing.
Kiffin also said on Tuesday that it's easier than ever for quarterbacks to adapt to new systems. That will have to be the case with the amount of time that Leavitt is going to have to miss. Again, though, this was already planned and accounted for.
It might be a bigger help for both Landen Clark and Husan Longstreet than it hurts Leavitt. Both Clark and Longstreet passed up more playing time elsewhere to learn under Kiffin and, realistically, just fight for a backup role this season.
Both quarterbacks are young, so adding extra snaps right now in practice will do nothing but help them improve. If the plan is to have one of them start next year after Leavitt goes to the NFL, this is going to be a crucial stretch for everyone involved. Who can take the bull by the horns?