With the new era of college football being ushered in, it is becoming increasingly likely that top-tier players will leave their schools in search of a fresh start. In years past, it was not as common for a player like Sam Leavitt to transfer. After all, Arizona State made the playoffs last year. This season hasn’t gone as expected due to a slew of injuries, but I’m sure Leavitt has his reasons.
Here are the top five landing spots for Leavitt, all of which could have gigantic impact ripples on the rest of the college football world in 2026, especially with a lot of coaching openings in big-name places.
1) Indiana Hoosiers
There is no denying the talent of Leavitt. Using our CFB QBi metric, Leavitt ranks 54th this season, but was 10th last year in a much healthier year. The Indiana Hoosiers under Curt Cignetti have finished 29th and 25th in transfer portal rankings, according to 247 sports. Included among those transfers is expected first-round pick Fernando Mendoza, who ranks third among quarterbacks on PFSN’s big board rankings for 2026.
If Cignetti could land Leavitt after Mendoza leaves for the draft, he’d have the perfect replacement to continue this dominant run of successful football for the Hoosiers. With Leavitt’s talent very evident, it could also have a signifcant ripple effect on the future of the quarterback position for the Hoosiers. Leavitt has a great 2026 season, gets drafted first round in 2027, and Cignetti becomes the next quarterback whisperer.
2) Miami Hurricanes
The Miami Hurricanes already have a history of grabbing elite quarterbacks in the portal in hopes of putting their team over the top. Unfortunately, they haven’t been able to find consistent enough success in the later months of the year, even with these quarterbacks. In the last three years, Miami has ranked No. 7 in passing EPA (expected points added) in the months before November and December, but drop to 29th in those two months, according to TruMedia.
Since 2024, the No. 1-ranked quarterback in EPA per drop-back in November and December is Leavitt. Leavitt could be the final piece of the puzzle for a Hurricanes team that has been very close to figuring it out for a while now.
3) LSU Tigers
The third landing spot for Leavitt could have huge ripples on the coaching market. Kenny Dillingham has already been included in these conversations of head coach openings. Imagine the success and continuity LSU could have if they were able to poach both Leavitt and Dillingham from the Arizona State Sun Devils.
Since Dillingham joined the Sun Devils in 2023, he has coached a non-Leavitt quarterback on 553 attempts. In those attempts, Arizona State is No. 134 of 136 FBS teams in EPA (-0.14 per drop-back). With Leavitt, they jump all the way up to 19th at 0.22 EPA per drop-back.
The third and final reason this would absolutely rock is that we’ve already seen a former Arizona State Sun Devil win the Heisman and become a first-round pick after transferring to LSU. Jayden Daniels and Leavitt, both having immense success with LSU after stints at ASU, could even create a new non-conference rivalry between the two. Sign me up.
4) Clemson Tigers
The fourth landing spot makes sense only if Dabo Swinney admits he was wrong about the transfer portal. After not signing a single transfer in 2024, Clemson ranked 83rd in the 2025 rankings. Landing Leavitt could change the tune surrounding Swinney’s tenure in South Carolina and maybe even inject a shot of life into the program.
Swinney is a proven winner at Clemson, and Leavitt could be the turning point that helps get this team back on track. Both by being a good quarterback and showing Swinney the way of the portal are fruitful.
5) Wake Forest Demon Deacons
The final landing spot is somewhat speculative, but stick with me here. Before committing to Michigan State, Leavitt had initially committed to play football at Washington State in July of 2022. In December 2022, he had an official visit there. It wasn’t until later that month that Michigan State was able to secure his services. Fast forward to now, and the offensive coordinator who visited with Leavitt at Michigan State is now at Wyoming.
Wyoming doesn’t seem like a suitable destination for Leavitt, and it would represent a significant decline from his current position.
Jake Dickert, on the other hand, left Washington State and is now the head coach for a Wake Forest football team that is 7-3 despite ranking 110th in passing EPA. Imagine the success Dickert and Leavitt could have at Wake Forest with a slew of other transfers piling on to an already successful, up-and-coming team.