How Arizona State is Succeeding in Sam Leavitt's Development

Numerous past mistakes have haunted the Arizona State football program over the last 30 years - one of the most significant being the inability to maximize the talent of 2019 star recruit Jayden Daniels.

Kenny Dillingham has worked tirelessly to rectify past blunders that typically resulted in a program-wide backslide - that work has paid off in the form of Sam Leavitt.

Leavitt is a face of the program that has been put in great positions to succeed and to grow into a true star at the quarterback position.

Three things the coaching staff is doing right to fix past mistakes made at the QB position:

Showing Trust

Dillingham brought Leavitt to Tempe in December 2023 as a means of competition for fellow 2023 four star Jaden Rashada.

He gave both young stars an equal opportunity to distinguish themselves in the starting battle - and Leavitt took the victory in decisive fashion, leading to Rashada transferring to Georgia.

The trust Dillingham showed with Leavitt was likely instrumental in the redshirt freshman taking a commanding leadership role with the team, along with rebuilding confidence that could have been shaken at Michigan State.

Scheme/Easing Leavitt Into Role

Arroyo is one of the most innovative offensive minds in the Big 12 - that was apparent from early on in the 2024 season.

The Sun Devils largely manhandled SEC foe Mississippi State in week two of last season despite a rough passing performance by the then-freshman.

It didn't matter.

Leavitt wasn't asked to do too much on many occassions early on in his time as the starting QB - he was typically given simple reads, the ability to scramble out of protections in an easy manner, and developed a quick rapport with WR Jordyn Tyson.

This approach resulted in the playmaker rapidly ascending into one of the best players in college football over the course of the second half of the season.

Continuity

A major problem with the Daniels era was the simple fact that Edwards' staff typically saw significant turnover.

Rob Likens - who was the Arizona State OC in Daniels' first season in 2019 - was dismissed and replaced by Zak Hill.

That proved to stunt the growth of Daniels, and what seemed to be a revolving door amongst the positional coaches couldn't have helped the overall outlook of the offense as a whole.

The approach under Dillingham is completely different.

Marcus Arroyo was extended late last year after experiencing a very fruitful first season in Tempe, and every positional coach returned as well.

That is a recipe for success in most cases - but it remains to be seen if it will pay off in Tempe in 2025.

Read more about C.J. Fite's potential as an NFL prospect here, and Dillingham's recent innovative recruiting strategy here.

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