Sam Leavitt answered the bell and answered his critics on Saturday afternoon on the Plains.
The LSU quarterback was sensational in a 38-17 victory over Auburn, throwing for 387 yards with 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. He threw it a whopping 45 times and completed 32 of those passes, and Leavitt also showed his ability to beat defenses with his legs, rushing 8 times for 54 yards and another TD.
Leavitt had a stellar QBR of 95.9 for the day, and on Monday the junior was rewarded by the SEC, being named the conference’s Offensive Player of the Week for an action-packed Week 8 in the league. He was the headline star among the Week 8 SEC Players of the Week, helping LSU grab a huge conference road win over the other Tigers while shutting down the noise about his interceptions.
Coming into Week 8 with 8 interceptions already on the 2026 season, Leavitt didn’t add to that total last Saturday, much to the delight of those demanding LSU fans. Leavitt has now thrown for 2,163 yards with 17 touchdown passes in 8 games this season, and he saved his best — so far, at least — for Week 8.
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Leavitt was just 1 of many standouts in the SEC from Week 8, with 12 of the 16 teams in action.
Here’s the complete list of SEC Player of the Week honors:
- Offensive player of the week: Sam Leavitt, LSU
- Co-defensive player of the week: Rasheem Biles, Texas
- Co-defensive player of the week: Owen Heinecke, Oklahoma
- Special teams player of the week: Malik Orsan, South Carolina
- Offensive lineman of the week: Nolan Hay, South Carolina
- Co-defensive lineman of the week: Jordan Ross, LSU
- Co-defensive lineman of the week: Fatutoa Henry, Alabama
- Freshman of the week: Kenny Darby, Kentucky
The Week 8 SEC stars shined brightly, but every player on every SEC team is chasing that coveted conference trophy that’s awarded in December. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about which teams have the best odds to be SEC champions:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
