Sam Leavitt took Arizona State to the College Football Playoff in 2024, threw for nearly 3,000 yards, and earned Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors. Then a foot injury in late September derailed everything. The surgery came Oct. 31. The transfer portal decision followed weeks later.
Seven games. That’s all Leavitt got in 2025 after entering the season as the Big 12’s preseason offensive player of the year. He still managed 1,628 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, and three interceptions while adding 306 rushing yards and five scores on the ground. But Arizona State finished 8-5, a far cry from the 11-3 playoff season Leavitt orchestrated as a redshirt freshman.
Sam Leavitt’s Transfer Portal Decision Reshapes Quarterback Market
Leavitt informed Arizona State he intends to enter the transfer portal when the window opens Jan. 2. The signs pointed toward a departure for weeks, his camp reportedly began shopping his services to other programs in mid-November, and Dillingham wished him well at the team’s end-of-year banquet that Leavitt didn’t attend.
The timing makes sense from multiple angles. Arizona State loses a significant chunk of its 2024 playoff roster to graduation and the NFL. The Sun Devils aren’t spending the full revenue share allotment and would be competing against schools with deeper NIL pockets for a quarterback whose market value is projected between $3 million and $5 million.
Leavitt has two years of eligibility remaining and needs a landing spot that can maximize his NFL draft stock while he recovers fully from surgery.
MORE: PFSN’s CFB Transfer Portal Tracker
Three programs have emerged as frontrunners. Oregon represents the hometown appeal — Leavitt grew up in West Linn, just south of Portland. The Ducks have built a quarterback pipeline through the transfer portal, with Anthony Brown, Bo Nix, and Dillon Gabriel all winning 10 or more games after transferring in.
LSU offers Lane Kiffin’s offensive system and SEC exposure, the same path Jayden Daniels took from Arizona State to a Heisman Trophy. Indiana rounds out the top three after Kurtis Rourke and Fernando Mendoza led back-to-back playoff runs under Curt Cignetti.
Arizona State Faces Quarterback Crisis After Leavitt Departure
The Sun Devils enter the offseason with Cam Dyer and Michael Tollefson, both redshirt freshmen, plus four-star signee Jake Fette as their only scholarship quarterbacks. Jeff Sims, who started six games over two seasons when Leavitt was unavailable, is out of eligibility.
Arizona State will need to land at least one experienced quarterback from the portal to stabilize the position.
Leavitt’s departure caps a two-year run that reshaped the program. He ranks 15th in school history in passing yards (4,513) and 13th in touchdowns (34) despite playing just two seasons. Every quarterback ahead of him on those lists played at least three years.
His connection with receiver Jordyn Tyson and running back Cam Skattebo turned Arizona State from a rebuilding project to a Big 12 champion in one season.
MORE: PFSN’s 2026 QB Transfer Portal Rankings
The injury changed the trajectory. What looked like a Heisman dark horse campaign in August ended with a walking boot in October. The NFL draft buzz quieted. The transfer speculation intensified.
Leavitt is still just 21 years old. He’ll have 2026 and 2027 to prove the foot injury was a detour, not a destination. The portal window runs through Jan. 16, and the top-ranked quarterback in the class won’t lack for options.
