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BATON ROUGE — LSU football will not only be breaking in a new head football coach for the 2026 season but also a new starting quarterback.
Sam Leavitt transferred to the Tigers after deciding to leave Arizona State following the conclusion of the 2025 season. The junior has two years of college eligibility remaining after playing two seasons with the Sun Devils.
In two seasons in Tempe, Arizona, Leavitt threw for 4,513 and 34 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He completed 61.3% of his passes and he also ran for 749 yards along with 10 touchdowns.
Leavitt was the top rated player in the transfer portal this offseason.
SAM LEAVITT LSU football QB Sam Leavitt speaks for first time after transferring
Here's what to know about LSU's newest starting quarterback.
Leavitt is most known for his two years with the Sun Devils but that is not where he got his collegiate start after high school in West Linn, Oregon.
He signed with Michigan State out of high school in 2023. He appeared in four games as a freshman with Spartans coming in during some of the team's biggest games like against rival Michigan and Nebraska. He attempted 23 passes with Michigan State, completing 15 for 139 yards and two scores. Leavitt ran for 67 yards on 13 carries to average 5.2 yards per attempt.
After the 2023 season, he transferred to Arizona State.
In his first season as a starting quarterback in college, Leavitt did not disappoint. The dual threat quarterback helped lead Arizona State to its first College Football Playoff appearance in 2024. He guided the team to an 11-3 record, its first Big 12 championship earning Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors along the way.
Arizona State lost in double overtime to Texas in the CFP when Leavitt went 24 for 46 for 222 yards and brough ASU back from a 24-8 fourth-quarter deficit to force OT.
Leavitt enrolled at LSU for the spring semester and was with the team for spring drills, but he was not able to participate in basically all of it as he was recovering from foot surgery.
The quarterback suffered a Lisfranc injury last season at Arizona State and had season-ending surgery late in the year and the recovery timeline bled over into the spring. Kiffin told media members LSU brought in Leavitt with the knowledge he wasn't going to be able to participate much due to the rehab.
But Leavitt has since been fully cleared and has been leading the team in player-led practices this summer as well as going through offseason conditioning.
During his first time speaking publicly since he opted to leave Arizona State and transfer to LSU, Leavitt said he knew he had a good thing going at ASU, but he ultimately wanted something different.
"Just looking back at my process, I think leaving ASU, I had a comfortable situation," Leavitt said July 30 at LSU's annual The Huddle event, the program's women's football clinic. "Walk in the building, I saw my guys, built great relationships, you know, won a lot of games there. But I wanted to do something a little bit different. It's funny, that's kind of what everyone is saying around here, it's just different. It really is in every aspect.
"You come out here to the practices. The way individual reps are ran, the way every single coach is so poured into this, the time that we meet outside of the facility, the initial time we're supposed to meet, it truly is a different situation. You talk about being a pro and trying to become the best version of yourself, there's no other place to do it other than here. Every single day I walk into the facility, I see Whit (Weeks), you know, Ty Benefield, all these dudes and you got to go against them every single day. Those are some pretty good players to play."
Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Why did Sam Leavitt transfer to LSU? What to know about LSU football QB
Continue reading...
Sam Leavitt transferred to the Tigers after deciding to leave Arizona State following the conclusion of the 2025 season. The junior has two years of college eligibility remaining after playing two seasons with the Sun Devils.
In two seasons in Tempe, Arizona, Leavitt threw for 4,513 and 34 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He completed 61.3% of his passes and he also ran for 749 yards along with 10 touchdowns.
Leavitt was the top rated player in the transfer portal this offseason.
SAM LEAVITT LSU football QB Sam Leavitt speaks for first time after transferring
Here's what to know about LSU's newest starting quarterback.
Sam Leavitt didn't start his career at Arizona State
Leavitt is most known for his two years with the Sun Devils but that is not where he got his collegiate start after high school in West Linn, Oregon.
He signed with Michigan State out of high school in 2023. He appeared in four games as a freshman with Spartans coming in during some of the team's biggest games like against rival Michigan and Nebraska. He attempted 23 passes with Michigan State, completing 15 for 139 yards and two scores. Leavitt ran for 67 yards on 13 carries to average 5.2 yards per attempt.
After the 2023 season, he transferred to Arizona State.
Sam Leavitt led Arizona State to College Football Playoffs
In his first season as a starting quarterback in college, Leavitt did not disappoint. The dual threat quarterback helped lead Arizona State to its first College Football Playoff appearance in 2024. He guided the team to an 11-3 record, its first Big 12 championship earning Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors along the way.
Arizona State lost in double overtime to Texas in the CFP when Leavitt went 24 for 46 for 222 yards and brough ASU back from a 24-8 fourth-quarter deficit to force OT.
Sam Leavitt missed spring practice with LSU football
Leavitt enrolled at LSU for the spring semester and was with the team for spring drills, but he was not able to participate in basically all of it as he was recovering from foot surgery.
The quarterback suffered a Lisfranc injury last season at Arizona State and had season-ending surgery late in the year and the recovery timeline bled over into the spring. Kiffin told media members LSU brought in Leavitt with the knowledge he wasn't going to be able to participate much due to the rehab.
But Leavitt has since been fully cleared and has been leading the team in player-led practices this summer as well as going through offseason conditioning.
Why did Sam Leavitt transfer to LSU football?
During his first time speaking publicly since he opted to leave Arizona State and transfer to LSU, Leavitt said he knew he had a good thing going at ASU, but he ultimately wanted something different.
"Just looking back at my process, I think leaving ASU, I had a comfortable situation," Leavitt said July 30 at LSU's annual The Huddle event, the program's women's football clinic. "Walk in the building, I saw my guys, built great relationships, you know, won a lot of games there. But I wanted to do something a little bit different. It's funny, that's kind of what everyone is saying around here, it's just different. It really is in every aspect.
"You come out here to the practices. The way individual reps are ran, the way every single coach is so poured into this, the time that we meet outside of the facility, the initial time we're supposed to meet, it truly is a different situation. You talk about being a pro and trying to become the best version of yourself, there's no other place to do it other than here. Every single day I walk into the facility, I see Whit (Weeks), you know, Ty Benefield, all these dudes and you got to go against them every single day. Those are some pretty good players to play."
Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Why did Sam Leavitt transfer to LSU? What to know about LSU football QB
Continue reading...
