Dillingham Names Sam Leavitt As Starting Quarterback

(Photo: Marina Williams/WCSN)

Redshirt freshman Sam Leavitt will be Arizona State football’s starting quarterback for its season opener against Wyoming in 12 days, head coach Kenny Dillingham announced following Monday’s practice.

Before committing to ASU out of the transfer portal last December, Leavitt played in four games for Michigan State as a true freshman to preserve his redshirt, completing 15 of his 23 passes for 139 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He was also solid on the ground and averaged 5.2 yards on 13 carries.

Throughout the spring and fall, Leavitt’s play cemented him as the clear choice for Dillingham and company. A mobile quarterback who has proved a responsible passer, he has seldom turned over the football during the fall, which played a considerable role in the decision to name him the starter.

Many quarterbacks may start camp hot but eventually trail off or have trouble being consistent in their play, but Leavitt has yet to encounter any of those issues.

“In 300 clips of team series scenarios, he has two interceptions,” Dillingham said. “So you’re talking 300 clips, that’s roughly five football games, and you have two interceptions. That’s pretty good, and talk about taking care of the football, that’s at a high level. On top of that, he cares, his work ethic, he’s mobile enough, he has a lot of traits to where I think he’s a really, really, really good football player.”

In addition to showing great promise on the field, Leavitt’s unrelenting work ethic and leadership make him an attractive candidate to start. Despite not yet taking the field in a Sun Devils’ uniform, he was named to the 12-member Pat Tillman Leadership Council, with junior linebacker Keyshaun Elliott being the only other newcomer on the committee.

The Oregon native has displayed many of the same qualities that Denver Broncos’ 2024 first-round pick and former Heisman Finalist Bo Nix, who worked with Dillingham at both Auburn and Oregon, showcased. Above all, he’s a fierce competitor and vocal leader, taking every opportunity to better himself and stopping at nothing to be the best player he can be.

“[He] has been extremely savvy in regards to taking an approach that puts him in a place where he can gain as much of an advantage work-wise as he can,” offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo said. “He’s in here early, he’s in here late, he’s got a ton of questions, he’s in a ton of film. He’s constantly thirsty for information… Just a guy who’s constantly looking for growth.”

For now, senior Jeff Sims will serve as Leavitt’s bonafide backup. In three seasons at Georgia Tech and another with Nebraska, the experienced signal caller racked up 4,746 passing yards coupled with 31 scores and 29 picks while causing significant damage with his legs, rushing for 1,341 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Entering his sixth year with ASU, redshirt senior Trenton Bourguet is another viable option who could step in under center if need be. Bourguet has attempted 464 passes across four seasons of game action, completing 304 while tossing 13 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. The veteran signal-caller assumed the brunt of his workload over the past two seasons, as he recorded 2,976 and 452 throws in 15 games between the 2022 and 2023 campaigns.

As is the case with most position groups on this year’s squad, ASU’s staff feels its quarterback room is significantly deeper than in year one of the Dillingham era, providing a sense of security if things go awry with Leavitt.

“We believe we have a lot of quarterbacks on this team that can win football games,” Dillingham said. “I feel like our quarterback depth is really good to be honest, and I’m very confident with all three of our quarterbacks right now that have been getting reps with the ones, twos and threes.”