Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt is the highest-rated quarterback prospect in the transfer portal that opened on Jan. 2. Leavitt missed a huge chunk of the Sun Devils’ regular season with a Lisfranc ligament tear before entering the portal.
In the past few days, Leavitt has been on the move, visiting the Kentucky Wildcats and skipping a scheduled visit with the Texas Tech Red Raiders after they signed quarterback Brendan Sorsby.
ESPN Analyst Details the Best Fit for Sam Leavitt
Leavitt was at the center of transfer portal intrigue when he was pictured alongside controversial LSU Tigers coach Lane Kiffin at a basketball game in Baton Rouge on Tuesday evening after a two-day visit to the program.
To further add intrigue to the transfer portal madness, on Tuesday evening, Washington quarterback Demond Williams, who was signed to a contract with the Huskies, announced his entry into the portal and has been strongly linked with LSU.
During Wednesday’s segment of the “Ryen Russillo Show,” ESPN analyst Max Olson opined that the Tennessee Volunteers could be the best fit for Leavitt.
“The Sam Leavitt recruitment’s been pretty interesting to follow,” Olson said. “Watching him live, I was like, ‘This kid is special.’ A little bit surprising that he made a move considering how tight he was with Kenny Dillingham. He goes to Kentucky for a visit, now Kentucky has flipped Kenny Minchey.”
“He was gonna go visit Texas Tech, they get the deal done with Brendan Sorsby in their battle with LSU. He goes to LSU, LSU is now eminently with Demond Williams. Now he’s gone to Tennessee and it would be a good move for him, but he’s from Oregon. Would he end up at Oregon if Dante Moore goes pro? He has an interesting decision to make.”
The current quarterback market, led by the talented Leavit,t has captured the headlines as the transfer portal has taken center stage in college football, despite the playoff reaching its climax.
On3 Analyst Reveals Leavitt’s Dilemma
During Wednesday’s segment of the “Inside Scoop” podcast, On3 reporter Pete Nakos revealed that Leavitt was still considering LSU, although he gave Tennessee a fighting chance of landing the talented quarterback.
“I think Sam Leavitt is still evaluating his options. He obviously hasn’t committed to LSU – that didn’t happen on the visit,” Nakos said. “There have been some conversations when he gets to campus. He missed the back half of the season.
“It’s unclear if he’d be able to return for spring ball and how that could look. I’ll tell you this, I do think Tennessee has a legitimate chance to land Sam Leavitt.”
Despite only playing part of last season, Leavitt still managed to tally 1,628 passing yards, resulting in 10 touchdowns and three interceptions, while adding 306 rushing yards and five touchdowns.
He has two years of eligibility left after redshirting the 2023 season at Michigan State before joining Arizona State and leading them to the Big 12 championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff last season.
Sam Leavitt is making a bad decision by leaving ASU. He could have been a 2 time Heisman winner playing for Dillingham.
Transferring to LSU or any other team is no guarantee for the same level of success he would have experienced with Dillingham. Dillingham is the best recruiter in College football, and has already strengthened the team’s receivers, as well as the remainder of the team.
Dillingham has already brought in outstanding QB replacements.
Hope all goes well for you Sam……